


Headshots

by namelesslunitic



Category: Family Guy
Genre: M/M, Revenge, Torture, Vigilantism, dogxbaby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-20 22:47:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14903603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namelesslunitic/pseuds/namelesslunitic
Summary: When someone crosses a line with Stewie, Brian decides to take matters into his own hands.





	Headshots

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not Family Guy or any of its characters.

The door creaked open, allowing a small sliver of light to pour forth from the hallway and into the baby’s room. The head of a white labrador peeked inside and scouted his surroundings before turning his gaze towards the crib, which contained a sleeping infant.

“Stewie?”

The dog whispered, but there was no response. He spoke again, louder.

“Stewie? You awake, buddy?”

No answer. Brian exhaled a sigh of relief and then proceeded the rest of the way into the bedroom. He was carrying a flashlight, which he turned on after taking a few steps, making sure not to aim the beam near his sleeping friend for fear of waking him up.

He had to make this quick, in and out so Stewie would never know that he’d been snooping around in here. Where to begin, though?

_ I know he keeps that planner in here somewhere… _

Brian aimed the beam of his flashlight on the child’s dresser and walked over to it. He kneeled down and opened the bottom drawer, the drawer that he knew had been reserved for various knick-knacks and other items that were difficult to sort. Maybe the kid had hidden the book in there.

The dog sifted through the contents of the drawer, using the light to see what all it contained. It didn’t take him long to discover that it did not, in fact, contain Stewie’s little black book.

_ Day planner! _

The canine corrected himself.

_ I mean, it’s a  _ **_little black_ ** _ day planner, but it’s still just a day planner. _

Either way, it wasn’t in there. The drawer contained nothing but an assortment of writing utensils, a few old crayons, scattered notebook pages, a couple of discarded...compacts, and some blueprints that Brian couldn’t make heads or tails of even if he tried.

The dog shook his head and shut the drawer before standing up. He knew the rest of the drawers were just for storing clothes, and while it was possible that Stewie had hidden his planner in one of them, he highly doubted it due to the risk of Lois stumbling upon it. Though, Brian doubted the woman would even care if she did find it. It wasn’t like she ever noticed any of the other strange things going on with her youngest son.

_ Like him sneaking off to have his picture taken by some freak! _

Brian gripped his flashlight tightly and huffed through his nostrils angrily before turning to scan the room again.

_ Come on, Stewie. Where is it? _

Eventually, his light landed on the boy’s toybox. The dog tilted his head and hummed curiously.

“Hmmm. Maybe…”

He walked over to the toybox and began digging around, moving toys aside as gently as he could to avoid making too much commotion. Stewie didn’t exactly have the largest toybox or anything, so Brian figured it shouldn’t be too much trouble to check the whole space for Stewie’s book. He just had to be careful. After all, some of these toys were electronic, and…

Just then, a familiar tune began blaring from the toybox, filling the room with loud music while a sequence of green, blue, red, and yellow lights started flashing in rapid succession, bathing the child’s room in the bright primary colors in a way that almost made it feel like a dance club. 

“Shit!”

Brian panicked and made a dive for the source of the lights, covering them with his body as he waited anxiously to see if this disturbance would awaken the sleeping boy only a few feet away from him.

The lights stopped flashing and the music died down, leaving only the sound of Brian’s own heavy breathing as he lay there, staring at the crib and practically shaking. He heard the rustling of sheets and then a high pitched little grunt followed by the infant’s voice as he spoke.

“Ugh. Not now, Rupert. I have to save my energy for rehearsal tomorrow.”

Brian heard the sheets rustle once more and realized that Stewie must have been rolling over. The boy was still asleep. The dog released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and chuckled nervously.

_ Nice one, Brian. _

The canine shook his head and lifted himself up off the toy that had caused all the ruckus. It was a game of Simon. The dog groaned and flipped the switch on the toy to the off position before moving it aside so that it didn’t cause any more trouble. He then continued digging around in the toybox for the object he was searching for.

Unfortunately, after several minutes, it soon became apparent that Stewie’s book was not in the toybox, either. Brian growled. This was beginning to become more trouble than it was worth.

_ Goddammit! What am I doing in here?! _

The dog stopped himself immediately upon thinking that. He knew why he was here. He was here because he cared about Stewie. He was here because a line had been crossed a few weeks back, and he was going to make  _ damn  _ sure it wouldn’t be crossed again. So what if he was getting a little frustrated. It would all be worth it in the end. ...Stewie was worth it.

The dog turned and once again began looking over the room. It wasn’t like there were a lot of obvious hiding places the child could use. Unless he had constructed some secret compartment somewhere, in which case Brian knew he was screwed. But, no, there had to be somewhere else. Where could you hide a little black day planner?

Brian’s light stopped as it illuminated the infant’s tiny bookshelf over on the far wall.

_ His  _ **_book_ ** _ shelf. _

That wasn’t too obvious was it? Surely it wasn’t there. The dog didn’t know where else to look, though, and he knew that book was in here somewhere. He’d seen Stewie with it several times, though the boy was very careful to never let him see just what was inside it. Brian never thought much of it, but, now...he wished he had paid better attention.

It was too late to worry about that, now.

The dog shrugged and made his way over to the bookshelf. It was at least worth a quick look, anyway. It wasn’t like it was a huge bookshelf or anything.

He looked over the books on the two shelves before starting on the bottom one and pulling out the first book. It wasn’t big enough to have Stewie’s planner inside it, so the dog set the book down. He removed another, bigger book and flipped through it quickly before setting that one down, as well. He continued this process until he’d emptied the bottom shelf of every book it contained.

_ Nothing… _

Brian frowned and replaced all the books in the exact same order he’d removed them before moving to the top shelf to repeat the process. He removed three of the books before arriving at a copy of  _ Corduroy _ . As soon as he removed the book, something in the back of the bookshelf caught his eye. He raised up his flashlight and saw that it was a small black patch of something. He smirked and proceeded to remove the next several books:  _ The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles _ ,  _ The Little Prince, Goodnight Moon,  _ and  _ The Secret Garden _ . He placed the books carefully on the floor and raised his flashlight once more to check the open space he had made. There, lying flat against the back of the bookshelf, was Stewie’s planner.

_ There you are! _

He reached in and took the little black book in his paw. He, then, immediately flipped to a date from a few weeks back that was now etched into his mind, figuring it would be much easier to find what he was looking for by starting there and working back. It should be easy from there. All he had to do was find something mentioning some kind of appointment for pictures.

He scanned the page, reading through the child’s schedule quickly.

_ Ok. Let’s see. Print out Jolly Farm script. Have Brian help me rehearse for audition. Recalibrate time machine. Help Rupert with his novel… _

Brian got to the end of the page. None of that was what he was looking for. He turned the page back to read the schedule from the day prior. The dog instantly noticed one section that was circled.

_ Pick up pictures from Gilbert. _

Brian’s grip tightened.

_ Gilbert… _

That must have been Stewie’s oh so “professional photographer” he had mentioned. It was definitely a start, but the canine knew he needed more information. There was no more mention of Gilbert on this page, so he flipped back another day. The man’s name popped up again.

_ Go by Gilbert’s studio downtown to have headshots taken for Jolly Farm audition. _

“So,  _ Gilbert _ , you actually do have your own studio, huh? Well, that should make you easy enough to find.”

He’d found what he needed. Now, he just had to get out without being noticed. In no time at all, Brian had replaced all the books to their proper locations. Once he was satisfied that there was no way that Stewie could know he’d been in the room, the dog turned off his flashlight and exited the room, closing the door gently behind him as he stepped out into the hall.

He turned to head downstairs. His mind was too busy to sleep, so he figured he’d probably try and calm down by watching a little TV. Meanwhile, his brain was just racing with thoughts about what had happened, how he had foolishly sat on the knowledge for too long, and what he was going to do to remedy that egregious mistake

_ Gilbert. _

_ Photography studio. _

_ Photos. _

_ Audition. _

_ Stewie. _

_ Wrong. _

_ Alluring. _

_ So wrong. _

_ Protect him. _

_ Revenge. _

_ Love him. _

_ Never again. _

_ Whatever it takes. _

The dog took a seat on the couch and flipped the TV on. Hopefully, he could get to sleep soon. He had a lot that he was hoping to do tomorrow.

_ Headshots _ .

* * *

“What’s with the laptop? Starting a new novel that you’ll inevitably end up working on for the next several years? Ha!”

Brian ignored the prodding infant as he carried his computer over to the couch and took a seat. He opened his laptop and waited for it to boot up, looking past the screen to see the baby standing there with his arms folded looking incensed.

“Well, fine. I didn’t want to talk to you, either. I’m much too busy to be getting distracted by you, now, anyway. Me and Rupert are rehearsing for our performance this weekend, which you are still invited to by the way. But, hey, at least I have one friend who is willing to help me.”

The dog knew that Stewie was referring to how he had refused to help the child any further with anything acting related after he had seen and reacted to the lewd “headshots” that the baby had apparently intended to bring in to his Jolly Farm audition from a few weeks back. The dog had taken those photos, hidden them away, and he had been intent on keeping Stewie’s secret and ignoring the matter, but… He couldn’t bring himself to do that any longer, not after what had happened a few days ago. Not after all they discussed in the bank vault…

Now, he just felt foolish for not doing something to protect Stewie sooner as he recalled the memory of seeing those photos for the first time. It was seared into his brain.

_ “Oh my god!” _

_ “Please don’t tell Mom! He told me that’s what a headshot was!” _

The dog’s eyebrow twitched. Oh, how he wished he could forget that image. Those images! Why couldn’t he stop thinking about them!? He shook his head, trying to clear it and focus on the task of finding out more about Stewie’s photographer.

He logged in and opened up his browser. He glanced over at the youngest Griffin who was standing next to his bear and holding a script must have typed up at some point yesterday, reciting lines from it with great gusto. Normally, Brian might have smiled at such a cute sight. Because that’s what it was. Cute. Stewie had his moments, but after everything the dog had been forced to confront over the past few weeks, it was incredibly difficult for the dog to muster up any kind of positive emotion. At least not until he’d finally dealt with this matter himself.

_ Ok. Gilbert. Photography studio. Downtown. _

“Rupert! Are you even trying here? My, god, you’re even more useless than Brian. What are you trying to do, embarrass me? Read it again!”

Brian typed in a few keywords into his search bar, and began scrolling through the results. It didn’t take him long to happen upon something promising.

_ Gilbert Fowell. Photographer. _

“No! Not like that! Here. I’ll show you one more time.”

He clicked the link, and it took him to a page that showed an image of a familiar looking building. He’d passed that building many times driving around Quahog and knew  _ exactly  _ where it was. It actually seemed to be a pretty busy business, which caused the dog to pause and shiver at the idea of so many people willingly paying this predator hiding in plain sight. Who knew how many others he had taken advantage of.

Brian took a deep breath and tried to suppress the anger that was roiling deep inside him. There would be a time and place to let that anger out, but it wasn’t here, not in front of Stewie. He released his breath and continued to scroll through the page. It wasn’t a very content-packed page. It mainly consisted of the studio’s portfolio, and then, at the bottom were a few links where you could pay or make an appointment. It was the last link that caught Brian’s eye, though.

_ About? _

“Ok. Well, that’s better, I guess. I’m really beginning to feel like your heart isn’t in this, though…”

The next page that Brian was brought to consisted of a brief history of the studio followed by an even briefer bio about the owner, picture included.

_ Gilbert Fowell _

And there he was, sitting there on the screen with a smug smile that betrayed the insidious personality this man must have. He appeared to be a medium height, caucasian male with slicked back brown hair, neatly dressed, but all Brian could focus on was that damn smile. It was infuriating. The bastard.

_ We’ll see how much he’s smiling when I get through with him… _

“What ya up to?”

Brian jumped out of his deep thoughts, only barely catching a glimpse of the boy that had seemed to suddenly materialize next to him before slamming his laptop shut.

“Ah! Jesus, Stewie! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

The infant leaned over so that he was on all fours and offered up a tilt of his head.

“Sneak up on you? But I’ve been here the whole time.”

He motioned toward the laptop with his neck.

“You seemed really into whatever you were doing. What are you hiding?”

Brian’s heart began beating rapidly, but he surprised himself with how much calm he was able to maintain in this moment. He considered the child next to him for a brief moment before answering. How long had Stewie been there? It couldn’t have been long, but surely, he had at least caught a glimpse of his computer screen. And,  _ surely _ he would have recognized the man who had taken advantage of him no matter how long ago it was. Nothing in the child’s expression betrayed this, though. He just looked genuinely curious. Brian shrugged.

“I was working on...something.”

Stewie frowned.

“Ah. Something. How informative… Glad to see that we can continue to be so open with each other after our little incident from a few days ago.”

A silence broke out between them as the boy just continued to stare at him intensely, making the dog feel incredibly uncomfortable not just because of how Stewie’s eyes relentlessly bore into his but also because (as loathe as Brian was to admit it) that look in Stewie’s eyes was something the dog could, for now, only associate with one thing: a thin veil of innocence masking the unholy danger underneath. The dog gulped.

“Ok. It was… It was…”

_ I can’t let him find out. _

Brian sighed.

“It was a new novel. Ok? You were right. I just didn’t want to...give you the satisfaction of knowing you were right.”

Brian waited anxiously to see if the kid would buy it.

Stewie just continued to stare for a few more seconds before finally smirking and sitting back up, legs tucked up under his small body.

“I mean, I was just joking, but I guess you really are that predictable.”

He chuckled.

“And you get more and more predictable by the day.”

Brian frowned at this.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Stewie rolled his eyes.

“Exactly what I said. There’s no hidden meaning to garner.”

He pointed at the laptop.

“Now, is your latest masterpiece really that engrossing, or can you get off your butt and help me with this rehearsal?”

He looked over at his bear who was still sitting on the floor in front of the TV.

“Rupert isn’t exactly… I mean, I appreciate his trying, don’t get me wrong, but it’s… Just. Not. Working.”

The infant then turned to look at the dog once more, an oddly hopeful look in his eye.

It was enough to make Brian actually consider stopping what he was doing, if only for a second. He quickly decided against it, though. What he was actually working on was much too important.

The canine offered up a small smile and shook his head.

“Sorry, kid, but I’m kind of on a roll here. Maybe I can help you tomorrow? You still have a couple of days before showtime, right?”

The child’s expression fell before turning to one of annoyance.

“Oh. Well, I should have known you were on a roll, what with you typing away at your keyboard so frantically.”

The sarcasm was very apparent, but Brian didn’t budge.

Eventually, Stewie just turned to hop off of the couch.

“Come on, Rupert. We’ll continue this upstairs. Wouldn’t want to disturb  _ Mr. Writer  _ here.”

And without saying another word, the boy picked up his bear and began making his way up the stairs.

Brian waited for a while just in case Stewie decided to return. Once he was satisfied that the child was really gone, he reopened his laptop and continued perusing the studio website. There really wasn’t much more to look at, though. He basically had all he needed. He made a quick note of the studio’s working hours before closing his laptop and setting it to the side. He then made his way down into the basement and retrieved a small duffel bag that he had hidden away the night before. He usually used it for travel, but he needed to transport a few items discreetly and this was his best bet, he figured. The dog tossed the bag over his shoulder and walked back upstairs. He retrieved his keys from the kitchen and then proceeded out of the house and to his car.

While he was tossing his bag in the backseat, he heard a voice calling out to him.

“What the hell? I thought you were writing!?”

The canine looked up towards the sound of the voice and saw Stewie leaning out of his bedroom window, scowling at him.

Brian slammed his door shut and shouted back up at the boy.

“I...I was, but then...something came up, and…”

Stewie held up a hand to silence the dog.

“Oh, just save it! You know, if you really didn’t want to help me, you could have just said so. I’m a big boy, Brian. I can handle you turning me down. I’d figured you’d understand that by now, but I guess not. Now, go have fun with your booty call or whatever sordid activity you’re bound to be taking part in.”

The dog went to retort, but he wasn’t given the chance as, in the next moment, the infant had slammed his window shut and walked off.

He stood there feeling oddly guilty at having made Stewie upset, but he quickly shook that feeling off and hopped into his Prius.

He’d make it up to the kid later, anyway. Stewie was right. He was a big boy, and he’d get over it. He always did, after all.

* * *

Brian pulled up on the side of the street, a block or so away from the Quahog Savings and Loan bank. He killed the engine to his car, and then, just...sat there, staring off down the street as he contemplated his plan.

He just had to take care of one more thing before he could start putting it into action. That’s where the bank came in.

Honestly, he was a little surprised that he had come up with a plan of action so quickly after finally resolving to face Stewie’s photographer head-on. This wasn’t exactly...like him. Upon going back and looking at those pictures, though, all rationality had basically gone out the window. Someone had to pay, and it was damn sure going to be the one who actually deserved it.

Despite acknowledging how crazy this really all was, the dog found that he was oddly calm about everything. He just needed a little bit of time to collect his thoughts, so he remained sitting there in the car for several more minutes before breathing in deep and opening the door.

_ Alright. Here we go. _

He retrieved his duffel bag from the backseat and began making his way down the sidewalk towards the bank. Moments later, he was inside and speaking to a teller.

“Can I help you, sir?”

The dog cleared his throat and spoke calmly.

“Yes. Yes, you can. I need to get into my safety deposit box.”

 The teller reached over and handed the dog a clipboard, not even bothering to look away from the computer she was currently typing away furiously on.

“Fill out this admission form, and an attendant will be with you shortly after your signature has been verified.”

Brian took the form and quickly filled it out before handing it back to the teller. After a couple of minutes, the woman finally got up from her computer and walked away. A few minutes more later, she returned. A man was following behind her. He smiled at the dog and extended his hand outwards toward him.

“Ah! Mr. Griffin! How are you today?”

The canine offered up a simple faux smile as he took the man’s hand and shook it.

“Oh, you know, gettin’ by. Isn’t that what we’re all doing?”

He chuckled obnoxiously. The man joined him in laughter.

“Ahahaha! Too true. Too true. Well, anyway, my name is Fernald, and I was told that you have some business to conduct with your safe deposit box. Is that right?”

The dog nodded his head.

“You are correct, my good sir.”

Another phony laugh between the two for no discernable reason.

“Well, let’s just go ahead and get that taken care of then, shall we? And, let me just say that we are very happy to see you returning to us after what happened to you and your young charge. I just want to once again on behalf of the bank express my deepest apologies for that whole incident, and I want to assure you that we have already taken further precautions to insure that something that never happens to you or anyone else ever again.”

Brian just shrugged. Most people would probably still be fuming mad at having been locked in a bank vault over the majority of a weekend, but it was hard to stay mad when the whole experience ended up being one of his most treasured moments. He wouldn’t take it back for anything. He knew that. Still, the dog knew this man wouldn’t understand that so he quickly gave him the answer he was looking for.

“I appreciate your apology and accept it.”

Fernald nodded in satisfaction before turning to head for the vault. Brian followed him all the way inside. The man began scanning the area as Brian did the same finding that he was actually impressed by how quickly repairs had been made to the room. You couldn’t even tell what had happened only a few days ago.

“Alright, then. Let’s see here. Seventeen… Seventeen… Where are… Ah! Here we are!”

He pulled one of the boxes from the wall and set it down on the table in the middle of the vault. Brian climbed up on one of the chairs near the table so that he could reach the box. Fernald pulled out a key from his pocket. Brian retrieved his own key. The two them then simultaneously inserted and turned their keys. The box clicked open. Fernald placed his key back in his pocket.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. Just put everything away once you’re done. Have a good day, Mr. Griffin.”

He then turned and left. Brian just stood there for a moment staring at the box before speaking.

“Oh! And you, as well.”

But, the man was already out of the room. Brian shrugged and proceeded to lift the lid off his box.

And there it was, right next to the label of a now shattered bottle of Glenfiddich 12-year single malt scotch...and what little remains he had been able to scrounge up of a dead bird he had intended to give to the family at some point. The dog stared long and hard at the item that he had came here to specifically retrieve. He briefly thought about what it had originally been intended for, but then, banished those thoughts quickly as he acknowledged the new, much more important purpose it was now going to serve.

Brian opened up his bag and pulled out a plain white rag. He hurriedly wrapped the item in the rag and then placed it back in his bag. And, that was it. That was all he needed.

He closed the lid, making sure to listen for the click of it relocking before returning it to its place among the other boxes. He then closed his bag and casually walked out of the vault to leave the bank. As he approached the exit, someone called out to him.

“Done already, Mr. Griffin?”

Brian turned to find Fernald standing at the teller’s desk, looking in his direction. The dog just smiled, still as calm as ever.

“Done already.”

He stated it bluntly, and then, turned to exit the building, gun in tow.

* * *

Brian sat in his car across the street from the photography studio, munching on a burger hungrily as he kept his eyes on the clock. He hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch that day. His mind had been too occupied to focus on his appetite, but now, the hunger was kicking in full force. Plus, he needed something in his stomach, something to keep his energy up because, in just a little while, he was going to be confronting that insidious photographer.

Who knew how long he’d end up being here.

He swallowed the bite in his mouth and took a big gulp of soda, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he considered for the final time just what he was about to do. Up until now, he had managed to be completely at ease, but now, as zero hour was closing in, he could feel the pressure mounting on his shoulders. He was really doing this. He  _ had  _ to do this.

Still there was a part of him, a very small part, that wondered why he hadn’t just told Peter or Lois and let the authorities handle this. Under normal circumstances that absolutely would have been the right call, but...this was Stewie. Normal most certainly didn’t apply any longer with anything involving the youngest member of his family. Stewie, while incredibly young, was more than capable of grasping what had happened. Hell, as badly as he didn’t want to admit it, the kid was probably completely game to some degree (Though, Brian felt he did have a pretty decent reason to doubt this possibility due to how upset Stewie had seemed when Brian had seen one particular picture of the infant...nude.). That, however, did  _ not  _ excuse the actions of this predator. There was also the tinsy  _ tiny _ matter of Brian having to fess up to having kept Stewie’s rendezvous with the photographer a secret from the family for the better part of a month, and there was  _ no  _ way he could possibly come back from that. So, no, Brian knew that telling Stewie’s parents would do nothing but cause an unnecessary stir. It was best that this all just stayed between him and the photographer … Maybe he would tell Stewie one day, too, but that would be a long time from now, if he could help it.

The canine finished off his burger and soda and looked at the clock. It was about ten minutes until closing time. Most of the vehicles had left. Brian was pretty sure there was one customer left inside. He had to time this just right so that he entered the studio just before the customer left. That way Gilbert would have to at least talk to him, and once Brian was sure that no one else was coming… Well, that part was coming really soon.

Brian remained sitting in the car for another minute longer, nervously pounding out a steady beat on his steering wheel before finally psyching himself up for the task at hand. He exited the vehicle and grabbed his bag. He then proceeded across the street and took a position by the entrance. A few minutes later, he heard footsteps as someone was approaching the door.

This was it.

No going back.

He pivoted on his heel and made like he had just walked up to the door, opening it before the person inside and stepping into the building just as they were on their way out. The door closed with the tingling of a bell, and Brian began looking around. The room he was in was pretty standard fare, your average reception area, plain, non-decorated walls and tiled floor with a desk up front and center, chairs scattered about the two side walls. Restrooms were even off to the left. The only thing that was distinctive was the curtain in the far back-right of the room covering a doorway that, he assumed, must lead to the studio area. There was no one in sight. The dog looked over at a clock on the wall above the desk. It was about two minutes until closing. He cleared his throat and called out.

“Uhhhh. Hello?”

Nothing at first, but then, after a few seconds, a man’s voice responded.

“Huh? Is there someone there?”

Brian felt his heart beginning to race. He was pretty sure he knew who he was now talking to, and it took basically all his willpower to keep his cool. He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times before responding back with a casual chuckle.

“Hehe. Y-Yeah. There’s someone here.”

He began walking forward towards the vacant desk.

“Look, I know you’re about to close up shop here, but I was really just hoping to schedule an appointment for some…”

He paused briefly as he tried to come up with something believable to say. He went with the first reasonable thing that popped into his head

“...en-gage-ment photos?”

Another period of silence before the man called out again.

“Engagement photos?”

Before Brian could respond, the owner of the voice finally presented himself, stepping out from behind the curtain. It was indeed the lean, brown-haired man that Brian had seen a picture of a few hours ago. Brian froze briefly as he looked at Gilbert, a burning hatred roaring in his gut. He swallowed thickly, struggling to maintain his facade.

“Y-Yes. That’s what I said. Engagement photos. I need to make an appointment.”

Gilbert took a glance around the room before looking back down at Brian.

“Uhhhh. Ok… Where is your partner, then?”

Brian let out another forced chuckle that he realized probably sounded more manic than he intended.

“Oh! Well, you see, she’s, uhh, taking care of other things, right now, but a friend of hers recommended your studio to us and, you know, she just kind of sent me on my way to try and catch you before you closed.”

That was believable, right? Yeah. Of course it was.

The man just stared at the dog for a second longer before finally shrugging and offering up a big smile.

“Well, alright, then! We can definitely do that for you. Sorry if I came off as weird just then. You kind of caught me off guard.”

Brian chuckled again. God, it was so hard being cordial with this fucker…

“No. No. I get it. I realize I kind of came at a bad time.”

Gilbert shook his head.

“Hey, man, it’s cool. Let me just take care of something real quick, and I’ll lead you to the back of my studio where we can talk.”

The man walked past Brian and over to the entrance door. Brian watched as he flipped the open sign to closed.

_ Perfect. _

Gilbert turned back around and motioned for Brian to follow him to the back. The two of them passed through the curtain and entered into, what even Brian had to admit was, a rather professional looking photography studio. It wasn’t huge or anything but large enough, he figured. In the back-center of the room was a blank backdrop surrounded by some very expensive looking lights and other equipment such as the actual cameras and a computer that was sitting on a desk just off to the side. In one corner just off to the left there was a large rack of clothing which probably contained a wide array of outfits and costumes. And, then, in the opposite corner there sat a bunch of props for basically every need, as far as Brian could see. All of this was surrounded by dark tones, black walls and a grey floor, though, Brian wasn’t quite sure if that was just due to his inability to see color. The dog stopped and had a look around, taking in his surroundings before realizing that Gilbert was making his way all the way across the room to another door in the far right corner. He picked up his pace, hurrying to catch up.

Gilbert must have noticed this. He laughed.

“Heh. Sorry. I had just gone and put most of my stuff away. My schedule book is back here. So, if you’ll just follow me…”

The man opened the door and allowed Brian to enter first before following in after him, closing the door behind them.

Brian began looking around this new area. They were now standing in a hallway that led off to the left. Many photos of people lined the walls, and there was a closed door up a ways on the left wall. Gilbert led him all the way down this hallway and around a corner at the end into a very nice looking living area, nice big couch, huge TV, a fancy looking coffee table just off-center, clean carpeted floor. Photos of decorated the walls of this room, as well, shots of more people along with a few impressive scenic shots. It was a very cozy space, all things considered. The dog realized he must now be in the man’s home.

This was… an unexpected turn of events, but...not entirely bad for him. He could make this work. Definitely.

“Please, have a seat on the couch over there. I’m just going to run to the kitchen and grab myself a drink, if you don’t mind. Been kind of a long day.’

Brian was pulled away from his observations. He nodded his head at the man.

“Oh, of course.”

Brian made his way over to the couch and sat down as Gilbert ran off somewhere to the left to go fetch his beverage of choice. The dog set his bag down and stared at it for a second before reaching in to retrieve an item that he quickly stowed under the cushion beside him. Just as it was out of sight, Gilbert’s head popped around the doorway that he had just left through.

“Hey, uh, you want a little something, my man? You said you’ve been out with your lady today, right? Have to imagine you’re a little stressed.”

He chuckled again, that same obnoxious chuckle that was sure to drive Brian right up a wall if he had to hear it much more.

Still, Brian did consider the man’s offer. He  _ was _ under a bit of stress, though, not for the reasons Gilbert suspected. He eventually nodded his head and forced a smile in the man’s direction.

“You know what, sure. I’ll take you up on that. What’s your whiskey selection?”

Gilbert snapped his fingers and made pistol motions at the canine.

“I’ve got just the thing. B.R.B.”

Brian couldn’t help rolling his eyes as the man disappeared once more. He was so ready to get on with this thing. He didn’t see himself being able to play nice for much longer. He closed his eyes and huffed, feeling that anger rising again. He fought to keep it down, but it was difficult when the images that were currently contained in his bag kept flashing across his mind, kept causing him to imagine just what all had happened in this building between this sick fuck and his so very underage best friend and confidant. He was so caught up in his imaginings that he didn’t hear Gilbert walk back into the room. It wasn’t until the man spoke that he realized he was no longer alone.

“I guess I should have asked you how you wanted your drink.”

Another chuckle. Brian flinched.

“But, I always make mine neat, so I hope that is ok.”

Gilbert set the crystal glass containing Brian’s drink down on the coffee table before taking a seat in a recliner that was just off to the side of the couch. He took a sip of his beverage and set it down before reaching out and grabbing a binder that Brian only just now noticed had been sitting on the table this whole time.

“Ok, now, let’s see what we’ve got.”

The man reached into the chest pocket on his shirt and pulled out a pair of glasses, chuckling once again as he put them on.

“Hehe. Just recently had to get these bad boys for reading.”

Brian said nothing.

Gilbert didn’t seem to mind as he proceeded to open his binder and start scanning through it.

“Ok. Soooooo, how soon were you and your lady thinking about coming in?”

Brian blinked, briefly confused by the question before remembering the story he had told to get back here. He reached up and began scratching at his chin, trying to make a show of pondering over the question.

“W-Well, that’s actually a very good question.”

He forced a laugh, his mind racing to come up with the necessary words to simultaneously stall for time and keep up his act. He just needed a good opening. Just one. Good. Opening.

“I g-guess we haven’t really talked about any specific period of time, b-but I would imagine that she’ll want to get them taken soon.”

Gilbert looked at him, nodding his head before going back to look at the pages contained in his binder.

“Hmmmmm. Well, here’s the thing, buddy. I usually keep pretty busy around here, so if we’re talking the absolute earliest possible date, I can pencil you two in here for sometime next month.”

He grabbed a pencil from the center rings of the binder and began tapping his chin with the eraser end.

“Yeah. That will definitely be the earliest. My schedule is absolutely packed until then…”

Brian shrugged.

“I think.... I think that could work. What exactly is the earliest date next month?”

Gilbert made a few clicking noises with his tongue as he scanned the page he was on.

“Let. Me. See here… I believe that will be on the third, but that’s on a Wednesday.”

He looked up from his binder back at the dog.

“Would that work for you two?”

Brian put on his best contemplative expression and waited several seconds before answering.

“Yeah. You know what, I think that will work.”

Gilbert smiled.

“Excellent!”

He put his pencil down and grabbed his glass to take another sip before picking it back up.

“Ok, then, so…”

He chuckled again. Brian’s fists clenched.

“Wow! I am so sorry. I should have already gotten this from you, but like I said, it’s been a bit of a long day and you basically caught me as I was beginning to wind down and…”

The man cut his tangent off short with a vigorous shake of his head.

“Well, anyway, I kind of need your name.”

The dog answered without hesitation.

“Brian.”

Suddenly, the air in the room seemed to shift. The laidback man in the recliner seemed to tense up just a bit and his smile faltered in a way that was only just barely noticable. But, Brian noticed, and he had a pretty good idea why it had.

Gilbert just stared at him for a second before clearing his throat and leaning forward.

“I’m sorry. I just want to make sure that I heard you correctly. Did you say that your name was...Brian?”

The dog had to fight to control his breathing as the stress of the situation began to weigh on him. He gulped, hoping that he didn’t look as nervous as he was beginning to feel.

“I… Yes, I did.”

A pause.

“Why?”

The man tilted his head at him, ignoring the question.

“And...can I get that last name please.”

Brian realized that things were about to come to a head here. Gilbert obviously recognized his name. Which could only mean…

The dog finally reached over for his drink, taking a sip of it to calm his nerves as he began contemplating his next move. The liquid touched his tongue, and his eyes shot open in shock as he recognized the taste. He took another large gulp and almost slammed the glass down. That anger that he had been holding at bay for so long was coming on stronger than ever. He looked over at Gilbert, eyes cold as he pointed at the glass he had just drunk from.

“That…”

He laughed darkly.

“That is some  _ good  _ stuff.”

Gilbert sat back in his chair and closed his binder.

“Yeah. I think so. A friend recommended it to me only a few days ago. Went out and bought me a bottle, and now, I’m in love.”

Brian felt his eye twitch as he released a shaky breath, body beginning to vibrate.

“Oh? Really?”

He slowly reached his paw under the cushion next to him in a manner that he was hoping was discreet.

“What exactly is it?”

He laughed darkly before adding, “ If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

Gilbert chuckled again, only this time the sickening mirth that had been evident in his laughs was no longer present.

“Have you ever heard of Glenfiddich?”

Everything went still as the breath caught in Brian’s throat. The two males just continued to stare at each other as the tension that had begun to make itself known slowly grew stronger and stronger with each passing second. Brian knew he was very visibly shaking, by now. There was no sense in keeping up this act, and it wasn’t like he was even capable of it anymore when all he was seeing now was the proverbial _blood_ **_red_**.

At last, he let that anger wash over him freely, shooting a look at Gilbert that he hoped came across as appropriately menacing as he grabbed onto the taser he had been keeping hidden all this time. He lunged at the man with a feral snarl. Gilbert jumped back, and Brian was only just barely able to catch the shock that appeared on his face before the dog latched onto his arm with a vicious, forceful bite that had the animal tasting blood.

The man screamed in pain and began hitting Brian over the head with his binder in a vain attempt to get the canine to let go. Brian barely even registered the hits, running on nothing but rage, adrenaline, and intense hate. He bit down harder and pulled his head back, cutting into the skin of the man’s arm deep.

Gilbert screamed again.

“Jesus Christ! Let me go, you bastard!”

He hit at Brian again, but as before, it was no use.

As much as Brian was enjoying hearing this man’s cries of agony, he knew he had to work quickly if he didn’t want to risk his prey escaping. He released another muffled growl before activating his taser and shoving it into the man’s chest with as much force as he could muster. The man’s screams stopped briefly before being replaced by a pained warbling as his body began to convulse in response to the currents of electricity now being forced through him. He fought to stand up, but Brian held fast to his arm, hanging there determinedly and growling sinisterly as he continued to hold the taser to the man’s body.

Gilbert only managed to make it a couple of steps across the room before finally falling to his knees and collapsing on top of the dog.

Brian held the taser in place for a few more seconds, both for his own enjoyment and also because he just wanted to make sure the man was now incapacitated. Once he was satisfied that he had rendered Gilbert unconscious, he deactivated the taser and let go of the man’s arm. He smirked at the gruesome bite make he had left before climbing out from under the man. He was still shaking as adrenaline continued to race through him. He gritted his teeth and hissed.

“Yyyyyeeeees!”

That had been so incredibly satisfying, but he knew that things were just getting started. He had to hurry if he was going to make the rest of this work. He quickly wiped away the blood that was dripping from his mouth. He then put the taser back into his bag before grabbing another item, preparing himself mentally for the next few hours and the sweet justice he was about to serve.

_ Do it for Stewie. Do it for Stewie... _

* * *

Brian sat on the couch casually sipping on his drink, waiting. In front of him, on the other side of the coffee table, sat Gilbert. The man was held by a rope that had been tightly tied around his torso; arms; and legs, binding him to a rolling desk chair that the dog had been able to find in a little office corner in the man’s bedroom. His mouth had also been taped shut. Brian didn’t want to suffer the pervert’s shouting as soon as he regained consciousness. Plus, the dog had plenty he wanted to get off of his chest before even considering letting the man speak.

He had been waiting for a while, now. The initial anxiousness that he had been feeling just under the surface had basically all but faded. It was like a switch had been flipped the moment he had made his first move to subdue Gilbert. It had been exhilarating causing just that small amount of harm to someone who had taken advantage of the person he cared about most, and now, that he knew he was in complete control of the situation (and also the booze definitely helped) he found that it was incredibly easy to feel relaxed as he sat there in the living room of the man he’d just assaulted.’

He took another sip and sighed.

“Any minute now would be nice…”

He glanced over at his duffel bag that was sitting on the far end of the couch. His mind went to the pictures contained inside, the pictures this man had taken. He had spent more time than he was willing to admit looking over those pictures, allowing his mind to wander over all the lurid implications such shots held, all the possible, horrible things that could have occurred in this very building. The dog shuddered and gulped down more of the liquid before setting his glass down hard. He had to stop. The anger that was building back up inside was going to quickly overwhelm him if he continued to dwell on those thoughts specifically. He had other plans, for now, and he didn’t want to ruin them.

A few minutes later, Brian noticed the first signs that Gilbert was beginning to come to. The man stirred slightly, body flinching ever so much against the rope bindings. The dog smiled, just happy to not have to sit bored out of his mind any longer. He straightened his posture, trying his best to look intimidating as the man’s eyelids fluttered open slowly. A muffled groan sounded through the tape, and Gilbert began to squirm in his chair. Finally, he lifted up his head, a groggy look in his eyes as his gaze met Brian’s.

The dog glared at the man and huffed through his nostrils.

“It’s about damn time.”

The man looked at the canine in utter stupefaction as he emitted a very confused sounding grunt. Then, a look of realization hit him, and his head began swinging around wildly as he took in his surroundings before finally focusing in on the ropes that had him tightly tied to the chair.

“Mmmmmmm!”

Gilbert began struggling frantically against his binds as Brian just sat there watching, partially annoyed because he was ready to get on with this thing but also satisfied at watching the man struggle futilely. He chuckled.

“That’s… That’s really not going to help, man…”

Gilbert continued to fight against the ropes, though, thrashing his body about so forcefully that he eventually ended up throwing the chair off balance. It tilted to the side and then fell to the floor with a thud. Still, the man continued to struggle there on the floor for several more minutes before finally giving up. Brian figured he had just tired himself out.

The dog sighed and got up from the couch. He walked over to the chair and leaned down to lift it.

“Alright.”

He picked it up, groaning as he strained a bit under the weight of the man.

“Up you go.”

He was still able to get the chair back up into its original position without too much trouble, though. He heard the man groan. He sounded defeated, but Brian didn’t pay this much mind as he quickly retook his seat on the couch. He leaned over and didn’t speak until Gilbert finally met his gaze again.

“So, are you done? Because let me just say that things are bad enough for you already. Wasting my time won’t help. It’s not like you can go anywhere, so I suggest that you just sit tight and listen to me.”

The man was breathing heavily through his nose. He really had worn himself out with all his struggling, but he still was able to muster up enough energy to shoot the dog a glare of pure disdain.

Brian just shook his head.

“Glare all you want. Like I said, you’re not going anywhere.”

The canine then leaned back and reclined on the couch, matching the man glare for glare. Eventually, Gilbert uttered another sigh and allowed his gaze to fall. Brian took this as an indication that he was going to cooperate for the time being, so he began speaking again.

“So, I’m just going to assume you know why I’m here. You seemed to become pretty suspicious after I told you my name.”

The man seemed to chuckle slightly at the comment. Though, he kept his head down as he did it.

In Brian’s opinion, this was an odd reaction, but he decided to ignore it as he continued.

“Ok, then… Well, I’m going to keep working off that assumption and skip the lengthy introductions since you didn’t deny it. We’ll just move on to the core of the matter, then.”

The dog reached over and grabbed his bag. He began rummaging through it as he continued speaking.

“A few weeks ago, you had a very special client who asked you to take some...less than appropriate pictures of them. Ringing a bell?”

Gilbert looked up, offering up nothing more than a casual shrug.

Brian frowned at this.

“This client was underage. Does that help?”

The dog pulled out a pile of photos and laid them each face down on the coffee table in a single row.

The man just continued to stare at him blankly.

Brian paused, waiting to see if he would give him any other reaction. He sighed when he realized that the man was determined to remain difficult. He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.

“Look. I know it was you. I don’t have the proof right here, but I have seen it for myself. Me questioning you is more of a formality than anything, and you should consider yourself lucky that I’m even doing that much because frankly the hatred I’m feeling for you, at the moment, is enough to make me do something…”

Brian felt himself beginning to shake again. He had to stop and recompose himself. The canine shut his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Nevermind. That’s not important right now. What is important is you admitting to the horrible thing you did.”

Brian reached out and flipped one of the photos over. It was a picture of Stewie. The infant was sitting on a stool, hands clasped together with an equal-parts innocent and adorable looking smile on his face. It was a cute picture. The boy looked about as sweet as any other tyke his age, but all Brian could do was frown at the image. It just made all of the following photos that much more vile to him.

The dog uttered a small, pained whimper before turning it around so that it was facing where Gilbert could see it right-side up. He slammed a finger on the photo, pointing directly at Stewie as he pulled his next words through clenched teeth.

“Him. Do you...remember him?”

Gilbert looked at the photo for a good long while before finally looking back at Brian. He still had that thousand-yard stare in his eyes, but he did finally offer up a nod indicating that he did recognize the person in the photo.

Brian let out a breathless, shaky laugh as he took in this confirmation of what he already knew. It was weird, really, but having Gilbert admit just that much suddenly made what was happening here seem just that more...justified. Not that he’d had any doubts before about what he was doing, but that simple nod had been both validating and also a little shocking.

This had happened.

This was happening.

He reached over and flipped over the next photo.

Once more his gaze lingered. It was another picture of Stewie, only this time it was anything but innocent. The child was on a bed now, sitting up on his knees in nothing but a pair of...tight...looking briefs. There was no mistaking that his pose was intentionally suggestive. He was perched on his knees, crotch thrusted forward as he used his thumb to teasingly pull the fabric of his underwear just below his hip. His mouth was open, too, another finger lingering just at the edge of the entrance in an obscene gesture that made the dog’s heart race in anger.

The canine shuddered, finally bringing himself to look away as he placed the photo back down and turned it toward Gilbert.

“So, you took… You took that?”

The man looked at the picture. For a while, he did nothing but just stare at it. Brian didn’t like it. He snapped his fingers to regain the photographer’s attention.

“Hey, pervert! This isn’t for your enjoyment here! Answer the fucking question! Did you take this one, too?”

For the first time, the man tried speaking through the tape on his mouth. Of course, it just came out as muffled nonsense. Brian debated whether or not it was even worthwhile to hear what this asshole had to say, but eventually, curiosity took over as he leaned over and yanked the tape off of his mouth in a way that he hoped was incredibly painful. The way Gilbert winced at the action seemed to indicate it was. Brian smirked as he asked, “Now, what were you saying?”

The man opened and closed his mouth a few times, perhaps trying to soothe the pain there, before answering the canine. He looked the dog right in the eyes defiantly and said, “I don’t have to admit shit to you.”

Brian sat back shaking his head.

“You just admitted that you remembered him.”

Gilbert chuckled. Brian tilted his head curiously as the man explained.

“That kid? Well, of course I remember him. He’s the one who modeled for that horrible line of Calvin Klein diapers that failed spectacularly.”

He chuckled again, sounding much more confident than Brian liked.

“I kind of keep tabs on stuff like that. Modeling is kind of in my wheelhouse, dude. As for what you have here...”

He shrugged.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not familiar at all. Oh, and I would be careful while possessing such suggestive pictures of a child. You wouldn’t want people to get the wrong idea.”

And, with that statement, the man let out a delighted sounding cackle, smiling widely as he did so.

Brian just sat there. His blood was boiling, but he kept his cool. He waited for the photographer to cease laughing before responding bluntly.

“That’s… That’s actually a good save. I’ll give you that one. I wouldn’t get too proud of yourself, though, because I’m not leaving until you confess to taking these pictures. So, yeah, go ahead and laugh, but you’re only dragging this thing out. I know you took these, and you  _ will  _ confess to me before the night is through.”

A pause as the two males considered each other. Gilbert looked like he was trying to maintain his composure, but there was a definite uncertainty in his expression. Brian just tried to maintain a look of impassivity, and he was fairly confident that he was succeeding. After all, he wasn’t the one bound to a chair.

After several seconds of silence, Brian picked up the next photo. He didn’t look at it, though. Just casually tapped it against his chin as if he was pondering something.

“You know, that bullshit about Calvin Klein only goes so far. That still doesn’t explain why you reacted the way you did when you heard my name. I doubt you know of many talking dogs named Brian.”

The man just shook his head.

“Hey, man, I never once said that I recognized your name. I can’t help it if you’re a little paranoid or whatever.”

Brian clicked his tongue a few times before replying.

“Yeah. The Calvin Klein thing was way better. You don’t even deserve a nice try for that one.”

Brian moved on quickly from there, setting the next photo down where he and Gilbert could see it.

This time it was a picture of the child lewdly sucking on a white popsicle. He was in a similar pose as from the previous photo, still in his briefs, and he had the frozen treat about halfway in his mouth with his tongue out lapping away at it, eyes closed in...concentration. The popsicle was melting, causing the white juices to stream down his mouth obscenely. You could even see a few drops on the boy’s chest.

Brian gulped and clenched his fists tightly before speaking lowly.

“You’re a sick fuck…”

Gilbert groaned.

“Look. I didn’t take these fucking pictures, ok!? And, frankly, I would appreciate it if you stopped showing them to me. What kind of sicko carries these things around? Why haven’t you gone to the police or something, you wacko?”

Brian didn’t want to admit it, but there was no denying that Gilbert’s inquiry was a valid one. It wasn’t like he was going to humor the man and answer that question, though. He didn’t even bother to lift up his head, gaze still focused on the image of Stewie with the popsicle as he replied.

“I have my reasons for doing this…”

He reached over for the next photo and flipped it over. Gilbert flinched back in apparent disgust.

“Oh, dear god! Seriously, dude! What the hell!?”

Brian slammed his fist down on the table hard, causing it to rattle, his glass vibrating and making a loud clinking sound as it did so.

“No! Just stop with the bullshit! You don’t get to act all shocked and innocent right now! Even if you were seeing these for the first time, your  _ disgust  _ can’t even begin to compare to mine. Imagine seeing someone you...you care about so...so much being used and defiled in such an insidious manner. It’s…”

He stopped and hissed through his teeth before continuing through a sad sigh..

“It’s devastating… Heartbreaking…”

He shook his head and pointed at the picture he had just flipped over, finger resting delicately on the image of the boy.

Things were escalating. In this picture Stewie was completely nude. Though, if you were a freak, Brian supposed you could argue that it was tastefully so. He was reclined on his side, resting his weight on his elbow, palm on his cheek as his free hand rested on his groin covering...that area.

Brian gulped again.

The boy’s legs were spread, one folded back while the other was tossed up in the air in an impressive display of flexibility.

“Hey, buddy. I thought these images disgusted you. You seem to have no problem looking at them for prolonged periods of time.”

Brian’s head snapped up, fire in his eyes.

“You really need to stop trying to get under my skin. It won’t end well for you.”

The dog reached over and took another big swig of his liquor before reaching down to flip over another picture.

Gilbert shook his head.

“I guess I’m just a little confused here. You claim that you’re here to get me to admit to taking these, but I just don’t see what showing them to me one by one is supposed to do. If these were my handiwork, wouldn’t it only excite me to see them?”

The dog placed his palm on his forehead and chuckled.

“Yeah. You know what, I guess it would. As much as I hate the idea of you getting off on this, that does make sense. Maybe I should stop…”

He paused and looked down at the latest photo.

Another nude image.

Stewie was lying down on his back, head propped up by a pillow with one leg thrown widely over the other to the point where you could see his ass fully.

The dog took another sip of alcohol.

“Or maybe I just want to see each of these one more time because it fuels my anger and makes other things I have planned for you easier to consider.”

Gilbert’s jaw dropped slightly, the latent fear in his expression becoming more noticable.

Brian smirked and flipped another picture over.

“Yeah. Let’s see you make a smart comment about this one…”

Stewie was lying down on his belly in this one. His arms were folded, and his head was tilted as it rested gracefully on them. His smile, directed at the camera, was warm and inviting, like he was begging his lover to come to bed, and his back was arched in a way that allowed the curve of his ass to be visible just over his head.

The canine’s breath hitched as he downed the rest of his glass. Once it was empty, he set the glass down and spoke to Gilbert just under his breath.

“He… He trusted you.”

The man rolled his eyes. Though, it was obviously just a front. The man still looked pretty terrified.

“You have to prove that before it means anything.”

Another picture was flipped over.

Brian chuckled sadly.

“Huh. I guess that’s how you knew about the Calvin Klein thing.”

And, indeed, the pose Stewie was using in this one was almost exactly like one he had used for his brief modeling career. Of course, this was much lewder even if it was only by a small margin in Brian’s mind.

Stewie was standing up now, still naked, backside facing the camera, but his head was turned just enough where you could see his face. He was wearing a rather suggestive looking smirk, his finger resting just below it while he gave his exposed ass a hard smack. You could even see a little redness around the area as if he had done it repeatedly during the photo shoot.

Brian growled and stood up from the couch.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t try anything.”

The canine then proceeded into the kitchen and began looking around for the bottle of Glenfiddich. It didn’t take him long to find the bottle sitting on the countertop by the sink. He grabbed it and hurried back into the living room where he retook his seat and began refilling his glass.

Gilbert huffed under his breath as he said, “Yeah. That’s right. Go ahead. Assault me, tie me up, accuse me of horrible crimes, and then drink all my liquor. This is totally how a normal person handles this situation...”

Brian finished pouring and set the bottle down.

“Well, as you well know, this isn’t exactly a normal situation.”

He grabbed his glass and took a sip before wiping this mouth with the back of his paw and reaching to turn over the last picture.

It was probably the most infuriating one yet.

Rupert was in this one. Well, actually, the boy’s teddy bear had been in all of them, just kind of lurking in the background, but now, here he was front and center, lying on his back while Stewie...straddled him. The infant’s hands were on the toy’s chest, and his head was thrown back in a passionate display of carnal desire. The implication was very clear. It was meant to look as if Rupert was...fucking Stewie.

Brian growled again, eyes shooting up to stare daggers at his captive.

“Who came up with these?”

Gilbert blinked at him in apparent confusion.

“Uhhhh… Excuse m…”

Brian cut him off, raising his voice as he clarified his question.

“The poses! Who was the main one coming up with these sick...ideas!? Was it you or him!?”

Gilbert jumped back a bit. Though, it wasn’t like he could get far. He shook his head frantically as he stuttered out, “L-Look. I k-keep telling you that I d-didn’t take these. And, I m-mean, what kind of… What kind of question even...even is th-that? How would someone that young e-even know a-about...about…”

Brian cut him off once more, shouting this time.

“Cut the crap! You know damn well that Stewie is different, and you took full advantage of that, you bastard!”

Gilbert chuckled nervously, gulping through his reply.

“I’m sorry? St-Stewie?’

That did it. Brian had suffered through enough of this playing dumb act. He was done. Gilbert had been given plenty of time to just fess up to what had happened here, but it was obvious that he was a little more stubborn than Brian had wanted to give him credit for. That was ok, though. The dog had contingency plans. He took another swig of his drink and stood up from the couch.

“Fine. If that’s how it’s going to have to be.”

And, without any further explanation, he walked up behind Gilbert and began rolling the chair towards the man’s bedroom. Gilbert began struggling against the ropes again, but it was pointless.They were too tight.

“W-What are you doing, man? What are you doing!?”

Brian said nothing. He just remained silent as he rolled the chair through the bedroom and into the connected bathroom. He finally came to a stop in front of the tub, which he had filled with water earlier when he was making his preparations for the night.

The man gulped again.

“Wh-What are you… What are you going to do?”

Brian sighed and shook his head, keeping a firm grip on the back of the chair as he asked again, “Who came up with the poses for the photo shoot? You or Stewie?”

There was a pause, silence only disturbed by the man’s occasional nervous, shaking breaths. Eventually, he just whispered out, “I-I… I didn’t…”

And, that was all he was able to say before Brian had tossed the chair forward, causing the man to fall into the water face-first. He immediately began struggling to lift his head up, but Brian grabbed the chair again, applying just enough pressure to keep the man submerged. He held him there for several seconds, fighting against the man’s wild thrashing before finally lifting him back up out of the water and into his prior sitting position. Gilbert began gasping for breath in between rough coughs. When he had finally caught his breath he began screaming in terror.

“What the hell, man!? What the hell!? Why are you doing this!?”

Brian didn’t respond to these questions. He simply stood there in silence as he waited for the man to calm down before asking again, “Was it you or Stewie?”

A sob was heard as the man just shook his head.

“P-Please. I’m… I’m not the…”

Back in the water.

Brian held him under even longer this time before pulling him back out. He estimated about half a minute. It was honestly hard to tell, though. His mind was just a little fuzzy due to the alcohol he’d been consuming.

He turned the chair around and addressed the man face-to-face as the photographer took another moment to catch his breath.

“All you have to do is tell me the truth. That’s it. I’m going to keep asking you questions, and everytime you lie to me, I’m throwing you back under. And, I will keep you under longer and longer each time. I don’t know how good you are at holding your breath, but eventually, it’s going to be too much, right?”

He laughed and then finished.

“I think your choice is pretty clear here.”

He didn’t wait for a reaction from the man before turning him back around and leaning him forward ever so slightly towards the water-filled tub.

Gilbert was openly crying, now. It was music to Brian’s ears. This man deserved to suffer.

“You? Or Stewie?”

The man said nothing, and after a while, the dog took this as a sign that he was refusing to respond. He groaned.

“Not answering gets you thrown in, too.”

The man went to protest, but Brian didn’t wait to hear what he had to say before simply letting go of the chair and allowing it to fall back into the water. Once again, he held the man down and began counting in his head.

_ One… Two… Three… _

He could feel the man screaming in panic under him, which was foolish because that was only hurting his chances of lasting under the water. Brian knew that much. The constant struggling wasn’t doing much good either, he figured. The dog had to give it to the man, though. He was certainly putting up a tough fight, but Brian held fast and continued to count.

_ Thirty-five… Thirty-six… Thirty-seven… _

The man’s attempts to struggle free were beginning to grow weaker. The dog frowned. Was this already too much? He was really hoping that this would work. How hard was it to get a guy to admit to taking pornographic pictures of a child?

_ Forty-five. _

The dog pulled the man back up for air and uttered a disappointed sounding chuckle.

“You’re not gonna last much longer, if you keep that up.”

Gilbert went through his usual bought of coughing and wheezing as he greedily sucked the air back into his lungs, pathetic sounding whimpers making themselves known every so often. Brian decided to give the man a little while longer this time, not out of any misplaced need to show him mercy or anything, though. No. The canine simply wanted to make sure that this whole exercise didn’t end before it yielded the results he wanted. Once Gilbert was breathing steadily once more, Brian spoke as calmly as he could muster.

“You really should keep yourself more calm under there.”

The man laughed then, a sad, pitiful sounding laugh from someone who was desperate to escape their current situation but was beginning to accept that there was no hope. He shivered, whether it was out of fear or from being cold due to the water that was now soaking him or a combination of the two Brian wasn’t certain, and he honestly didn’t much care.

The man made another attempt to pull free from his bonds as he spat out, “Go to hell.”

They were hollow words, though, and the dog chose to ignore them as he moved on to another question.

“Did you just take pictures of Stewie or did…”

The canine hesitated, not even wanting to really consider the possibility of what he was about to allude to, but he also knew that he had to know just how far things had gone between Stewie and this sick, sick man. So, he finished the question quickly.

“Did something more happen?”

Gilbert groaned in frustration, bouncing in the chair as he continued to fight against his restraints.

“What!? N-Nothing happened! N-Nothing happened at all!”

Another lie.

Brian clenched his fists tightly in frustration and then gladly threw the man back into the water.

He kept the man under for a full minute this time. Luckily, it seemed that Gilbert had been willing to take his advice. The man was no longer struggling as strongly as he had been. That was good. They would at least be able to do this a few more times, and maybe by then he’d finally give up on the lies and start talking plainly about what had happened here between him and Stewie. Brian sure hoped so. This was already growing so tiresome.

_ Sixty. _

Brian pulled Gilbert out and immediately asked another question.

“Did he pay you? Or were there favors involved?”

The photographer had to stop coughing before answering.

“I don’t… I don’t do that stuff with kids!”

Brian growled, growing ever more frustrated.

“Fine. We’ll see if you’re saying that after a minute and a half!”

Back in.

_ One. Two. Three … Ninety. _

Back out.

“How long have you known him? Was that the first time you two met?”

“I ONLY KNOW HIM FROM THE ADVERTIS…”

In.

Brian growled loudly. Why was this asshole so fucking stubborn? He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his counting, but with all the thoughts that were speeding through his mind, that actually ended up being rather difficult. So, he hoped that he hadn’t ended up waiting too long by the time he counted out the full two minutes. Gilbert didn’t seem to be moving anymore, though.

He lifted the man out of the tub and noticed that his eyes were closed.

_ Shit… _

He gave the photographer a hard slap across the cheek, which prompted a weak flinch followed by a low groan from his captive. Gilbert coughed a few times, and Brian breathed a silent sigh of relief. He knew this couldn’t go on for much longer, though, and Gilbert didn’t seem any closer to confessing to him now than he had been when they had started this whole thing. It was beyond frustrating to the canine. He sighed again, this time out of disappointment.

“I don’t think you can take much more of that.”

Gilbert shook his head weakly as he choked out, “Please. Let me go.”

Brian scoffed, finding the very idea, that he would even consider the man’s request, nothing but humorous. He leaned the chair forward again. Gilbert started sobbing.

“N-No. No! NO! Not again! Please! I’ll do anything!”

Brian tilted his head at this claim. Anything? All Brian wanted was the truth. It was really that simple… Well, right now all he wanted was the truth. He still wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to do once he got it, but he knew it wouldn’t be good for Gilbert. That was all beside the point, though. This man sat here claiming that he would do ANYTHING  not to go back in the water. Brian figured he might as well see if that was true.

“All you have to do is admit what you did to Stewie…”

There was a pause. The room grew silent all except for the occasional strained breaths coming from the man in the chair. The dog waited patiently to see if Gilbert was finally going to come clean about the pictures. After a while, Gilbert finally spoke up again.

“I… I didn’t. I didn’t do anything with that kid.”

Brian just stood there, a dangerous combination of frustration and anger welling up inside him. All he could manage to say in response was, “Oh. Alright, then.”

The man looked back at him, a small ray of hope in his expression. How foolish.

Brian just frowned at him, shook his head, and let go of the chair.

The man screamed, but the sound was soon muffled as he became submerged once more.

Brian reached over to hold Gilbert under, pushing as hard as he could, forcing the man down to the bottom of the tub as he breathed heavily through his nostrils and his clenched, jutted teeth. A feral growl escaped him, and he actually began to consider whether or not he should just keep holding Gilbert under until… Well, until it was too late. Until he’d been under long enough to prevent him from ever regaining consciousness. Oh, it was a tempting thought, but eventually, some amount of sense won out over the dog’s primal bloodlust. He hadn’t done all of this  _ just  _ to kill Gilbert, after all. So, with some degree of reluctance, Brian ceased applying pressure to the back of the chair and pulled the man out of the water again.

He had no idea how long the photographer had been under this time. He hadn’t bothered to count, so he did like before and gave the man a hard slap across the face.

No response.

The dog groaned

“Fuck. You’re not dead, are you?”

He reached over to check the man’s pulse. It was there, but it was faint. It was a good enough sign to Brian. He was out cold again, but at least he wasn’t dead quite yet.

The canine figured they were done with the tub. He had really counted on that working, though…

It would only be a temporary defeat.

The night was still young. He still had plenty of time to get his confession. The tub hadn’t been his only idea.

It was with this reassuring thought that he took the chair and pushed it out into the bedroom. He set the chair back over by the desk where he had found it earlier and then walked into the living room to retrieve his drink and bottle of liquor. As he was about to grab his glass, a sound caused his ear to perk up. It was a faint buzzing sound, something akin to a pulse, and for a second, he just stood there confused as to what it could be.

Then it hit him.

It was the sound of his phone vibrating.

He looked over at the bag that was currently housing his phone.

_ What? Who could that be? _

He opened the bag and retrieved his cellphone. There were several missed notifications consisting of a couple of missed phone calls and several text messages. His eyes went wide as he began to worry. Was there some kind of emergency? What was going on? He looked at his list of missed calls, and his heart began to beat rapidly once he realized who had tried to call him.

There were three missed calls...from Stewie.

He checked his texts, and sure enough, they were all from Stewie.

Brian felt warm. He tugged at his dog collar nervously as he summoned up the courage to open his messages and actually read them.

He tapped the screen, unable to keep himself from gulping as he read the first message.

**Hey. You staying out all night? It’s getting l8. Just u know wondering.**

Not too bad, but Brian had to make sure everything was still alright. He scrolled to the next unread message.

**Soooooo Facebook just checked you in at the photo studio downtown. Is that where you are? Aren’t they closed by now?**

Brian gasped.

_ Facebook did what!? _

The dog opened up the website on his phone just to check, and sure enough, the app had gone and automatically told everyone he knew where he was.

“Oh, fuck!”

The canine reached up and gripped the top of his head, trying to keep himself from panicking. This wasn’t good. No. No. No. This wasn’t good at all!

He took a breath to calm himself.

“Keep it together, Brian. You can still handle this. After all, your phone did this automatically. Who’s to say it didn’t just do that as you were just...driving by or something? It doesn’t prove anything.”

It was all he could do to keep himself from worrying as he went to check on the rest of Stewie’s messages.

**Ok. So. You really need to call me back. I don’t know what’s going on but I can only think of one reason for you to be over there past closing. You could at least talk to me.**

Brian felt his heart sink. Stewie was on to him. He read the next message.

**At least let me know you’re ok. I’m worried.**

The canine groaned and rubbed at his temple, simultaneously upset that Stewie might have an inkling of what he was up to but also touched by the child’s concern. He scrolled to the last message

**Brian? Please?**

Brian sighed.

_ Maybe I should… _

The phone started vibrating again, causing Brian to jump and almost drop it. It wasn’t until he had the phone steady in his paw again that he was able to look and see what had caused his cell to go off.

Stewie was calling again.

The dog gasped and uttered out in a whisper, “Oh, no…”

He didn’t know what to do. On one hand, to continue to ignore Stewie could possibly be seen as too suspicious to explain away later, but on the other… Well, the kid was perceptive. Brian honestly wasn’t sure if he would be able to lie to him all that convincingly. Still, there was a slight chance that he could pull it off. This might be his only chance to save face here…

Brian answered the phone.

“Hello? Stewie?”

Immediately that familiar and comforting voice responded.

“Brian? Oh, jesus, it’s about damn time! What the hell, man!? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for hours!”

The dog took a seat on the couch and did his best to sound calm as he replied.

“Y-Yeah. Sorry about that. I’ve been busy. I…”

He had to stop and try and remember what he had told Stewie he was going to go do to begin with. Wait? Had he actually told Stewie anything? He remembered the kid assuming that he was going somewhere to hook up, but that was it. The dog knew he was taking too long to respond, so he decided to wing it. What else could he do?   


“Well, I decided to stop somewhere and continue writing, and well, I kind of got on a roll and I guess the time just got away from me.”

He chuckled nervously. Hoping desperately that Stewie was willing to buy this.

“And, well, now I’m just out enjoying the peace and quiet. I’m not sure when I’m coming back.”

Silence on the other end. Silence for a good long several seconds that, to Brian, felt like minutes. Then, “Your laptop is still here, Brian…”

Brian mentally slapped himself.

_ Shit! That’s right! _

He laughed again, though, trying his best to explain away that huge strike against his story.

“Wh-Wha? W-Well, yeah! I know that! I didn’t l-leave initially planning on writing outside the house, but you know, inspiration struck and, well, pen and paper still exist, right!?”

Another beat of silence. He heard the boy sigh. Not a good sign.

“Why did it say that you were at that photo studio downtown?”

The boy was getting straight to the point, and Brian could feel his heart racing frantically. He rushed out the very excuse that he had just come up with.

“The Facebook thing? I-I don’t know what that’s all about, man. Technology is crazy. I mean, I did drive by that building a little while ago. Maybe it just, you know, did that automatically! Shit like that happens!”

Brian knew that whatever manner of calm he had been able to maintain at the beginning of this phone call was quickly eroding away. Stewie was so on to him. He knew that, and he also knew that he wasn’t going to be able to take the pressure of the infant questioning him for much longer. He had to put an end to this phone call soon before things got much worse, but before he could say anything further, the baby was speaking again.

“Is… Are you alright?”

A gulping sound from the other end of the line.

“You know you can...tell me anything.”

The dog felt heat rising in his cheeks at the boy’s words, but he also felt the tension in his body releasing slowly as he cleared his throat and responded matter-of-factly.

“I know. Everything is ok. I’m ok. I’ll see you tomorrow, Stewie. Go to bed. It’s getting late.”

Another pause before the sound of the boy scoffing was heard.

“Go to bed? What are you, my mother?”

The dog smiled warmly as he laughed.

“Not even close, but I’m sure Lois will be in there any minute now, anyway.”

The baby muttered a reluctant hum of understanding. The dog could practically see the child nodding as he answered back.

“Yes. Unfortunately, you may be right about that…”

The canine sensed his way out of the conversation and jumped on it.

“I know I’m right. So, I guess we should wrap this up. Goodnight, Stewie.”

One last prolonged silence before Stewie finished with, “Goodnight, Brian. Don’t be a dummy.”

And, before Brian had a chance to say anything about the child’s strange parting words, the line went dead, leaving Brian to just sit there for awhile and ponder over the conversation he’d just had. He wanted desperately to know just what had been going through Stewie’s mind when the boy had said that.

_ Don’t be a dummy? _

He was sure that Stewie had a faint idea of what he was doing, but a moment ago, he was also pretty sure that the kid would have never been able to imagine just what all had been planned for his oh so “professional photographer”. Now, he didn’t know. There was something about the tone of Stewie’s voice that made Brian wonder if the boy actually did think him capable of the very things he was doing at this very moment. It was a frightening thought, but the dog found that he wasn’t exactly sure why he felt so terrified of that possibility outside of his plans to keep things underwraps being foiled. Maybe he was just concerned about whether or not Stewie’s opinion of him would change? That was crazy, though. Stewie certainly wasn’t one to judge, considering how ruthless the child’s temperament had been until only very recently. Thank goodness that kid had mellowed out some…

Brian shook his head, fighting the urge to keep down this train of thought. He couldn’t just keep sitting here. He’d already left Gilbert alone for long enough.

The canine placed his phone back in the bag, and then, he grabbed the items he had originally came into the room to retrieve before finally making his way back into the bedroom. The man was still out cold. Brian emitted an irritated sounding grunt and, then, moved to take a seat on Gilbert’s bed, resting his back against the headboard since there was no other furniture to be found in the room aside from the chair that Gilbert was currently occupying. It was hard to not just lie down. This was all so exhausting, but the canine remained sitting up, knowing that if he were to lie down there was a good chance that he would soon be joining his captive in slumber. That was something that couldn’t happen. So, he’d just have to wait again.

The dog shook his head, uttering another grunt as he took a sip from his glass, savoring the burn as it traveled down his throat.

He glanced over at the man in the chair and raised his glass towards him.

“Here’s to you, asshole.”

Brian took another sip and settled in for the wait ahead.

* * *

The dog sat on the bed holding the bottle of Glenfiddich, which he was now eyeing rather intensely. He was contemplating pouring himself another glass. He’d finished his second one a few minutes ago, and by now, he could feel that he had a nice buzz going. He didn’t want to lose that feeling, but he also didn’t want to take it too far when he needed to at least be semi-alert, right now. He could always take the bottle after he was done here, anyway. There’d be no reason not to indulge later.

It was around the point where he was resolving not to keep drinking that his ears picked up the sound of something rustling next to him. He looked over, and noticed that Gilbert was finally coming to again.

Good. At least now they could just get on with it. He was beginning to get bored waiting on the predator to awaken.

Gilbert’s eyes opened up slightly, and Brian wasted no time before addressing the man coldly.

“About time. Was beginning to worry that I’d taken it too far.”

He sighed and shifted his position so that his legs were hanging off the bed as he leaned in towards the man he was speaking to.

“It would be a shame if I had to end things before I got the truth out of you.”

The photographer groaned and shook his head.

“You’re...insane. This whole thing is insane. You have no proof I’ve done anything, and  yet, you come in here and accuse me of...absolutely insidious crimes and then proceed to torture me when I deny them.”

He chuckled sadly, and then, an expression of pure anger washed over his face.

“You almost killed me, you jackass!”

Brian didn’t even flinch at the outburst. He just continued to sit there before offering up a shrug.

“Yeah. I guess I did. But, hey, I didn’t, which means you can still stop trying to convince me that you’re just some helpless victim and admit what you did with my friend.”

Gilbert seethed and began struggling against the ropes for the umpteenth time that night.

“Your friend!? Yeah, you’re totally right in the head. Normal people say they’re actually friends with infants, right!”

Brian redirected his attention back to the bottle in his paw, choosing to ignore the last statement.

“He told you about the Glenfiddich, didn’t he.”

He looked back up to find the man with a look of utter bafflement on his face.

“W-Wha? The kid? What the hell are you talking about!?”

Brian set the bottle down on a nearby nightstand before responding.

“You said that a ‘friend’ of yours recommended you try it only a few days ago. I find that to be an odd coincidence since Stewie had it for the first time about a week ago. Me and him shared a bottle, but…”

The canine laughed darkly as he finished.

“I’m sure you must already know about that. After all, what other reason would he have for telling you to try it unless he was talking to you about that private moment we shared.”

Gilbert’s apparent confusion persisted as he replied.

“Oh, so now you’re sharing alcohol with infants and having private moments with them. That’s just peachy! You sure you don’t need help there, buddy?”

Brian growled and clenched his fists tightly as he suddenly hopped off the bed and rushed forward, getting extremely close to the man’s face as he shouted, “God, I hate you! It was bad enough when I found out it was you that took those pictures, but now, I have to deal with the fact that Stewie stays in contact with you and not only _that_ , but that he talks to you about his personal life! Tells you about all the intimate little details! And, here I was thinking that what happened between us was…”

Brian’s breath caught in his throat as he choked out the final words.

“Just. Between. Us.”

He could feel his body shaking. Gilbert was staring at him with wide eyes, fear entering them once more.

In the next moment, the dog had taken his shaking fist and clocked the man right across the face hard enough to knock the chair to the floor. It landed with a thud, and Gilbert began groaning in pain as he lay there helpless on the floor. The dog took in the satisfying sight as he took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Damn that felt good…”

The man on the floor grunted as he shifted the position of his body as much as he could.

“Jeez, you really are crazy.”

The canine chuckled sadly.

“Heh. Maybe. Frankly, this whole situation is beginning to drive me bonkers.”

He decided to leave Gilbert on the floor for the time being. He looked much better down there, anyway. The dog reached over for the bottle and took a swig before setting it back down and addressing Gilbert again.

“Ok. So, you think that I don’t have proof. Well, maybe if I show you that I do, you’ll finally stop with this stupid innocent act and fess up to being the creep that you are.”

Gilbert shifted his body again, obviously experiencing some serious discomfort as he grunted out a reply, “Yeah. Whatever, man.”

Brian nodded his head once before continuing.

“Well, to start with I guess I’ll go ahead and explain exactly why I’m so convinced you took those pictures of Stewie.”

He laughed then and kneeled down so that he was closer to the man.

“I mean, it wasn’t exactly an example of world-class detective work. The only thing that really set me on your trail was an entry in Stewie’s planner that mentioned getting pictures taken with a man by your name in a photo studio downtown, and that entry was a day before he showed me those pictures. Now, unless you can provide me with another man named Gilbert who runs a photo studio downtown… Well, that only leaves you, ‘buddy’.”

He emphasized that final word with a set of mocking air quotations, and then, the room descended into silence. The man apparently didn’t have much to say to that. It wasn’t like there was much he could say. It was pretty damning evidence, Brian thought, and there was no way he’d be doing this unless he was absolutely sure he had the right guy. And, he was. But, still, the dog continued to wait patiently to see if Gilbert dared to offer up any more protest. After a while, the man finally replied.

“We… We are still talking about a baby here, right? Do you realize how unhinged you sound?”

The dog huffed in agitation, reaching up to rub at his temple as he responded.

“You’ve got to be kidding me… How are you this stubborn?”

The canine stood back up, and then, picked up the chair.

“Alright, then. You need more. Fine. Let’s go see what we can find, then. How’s that sound?”

Brian tuned out the man’s various vocal expressions of uncertainty as he rolled the chair back into the living room, stopping briefly to grab the photos still on the table. He put them back into the bag on the couch and retrieved that before taking the chair and pushing it out of the living room, back down the hall and completely out of the apartment area of the building. They entered the actual photography studio and Brian pushed the chair up against the backdrop in the center of the room before walking over and placing his bag down next to the desk that was just off to the side. He took the pictures back out and sifted through them one by one before setting them down on the desk and turning to speak to Gilbert as he pointed at the photos.

“Those were taken here. I know they were. So, that means that everything in them except for Stewie and Rupert must be here, too. I’d bet anything that I can find the same bed with the same sheets and the same pillows. Those curtains must be here, too. I don’t know where, but I’ll find them. And, if I do find all of those things, I don’t see how you can continue to sit there and deny what happened here. What do you think?”

The man said nothing, his expression nothing but a blank as he sat there hanging his head.

Brian got tired of waiting for an answer, so he decided not to waste any more time. The dog grabbed one of the photos and began looking around the studio.

_ Ok. Bed sheets... Bed sheets… _

His eyes landed on the corner of the room with the racks of clothing. Maybe there was other fabric over there. Figuring that was a good place to start, the dog walked over to that corner of the room and began sifting through everything hanging from the racks. He spent several minutes searching through the clothing diligently, but all he ended up finding were a bunch of cheap looking costumes that looked like they could easily be acquired at any decent party store, as well as a few articles of more formal looking clothing. No bed sheets.

The dog sighed and began scanning the room again. He eventually caught sight of the other corner of the room that seemed to contain a wide array of useful props, another decent place to keep what he was looking for. So, he quickly paced over to the opposite side of the room and began looking through all the items.

There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the way things were organized, so he just started working his way through all of them, setting aside all the items he wasn’t looking for. It didn’t take him long to find a key item in his search: not the bed sheets, no, but it was still something that was quite interesting. There was a little mattress tucked away in the back of the corner. Brian looked at the photo of Stewie and determined that this mattress was about the same size as the one in the photo. That was a good start, and on top of this mattress was also a small pillow. It looked similar, as well, but really pillows were a dime a dozen. Still, it was another piece he needed to recreate the scene, so he picked up the pillow with the mattress and tossed that away from everything else.

He looked through the props for a few more minutes before determining that there was nothing more of interest over there. The dog hummed thoughtfully as he looked about the room again, tapping his chin. There didn’t seem to be anywhere else to hide this stuff… He huffed in mild frustration and then picked up what he had found and carried it over to where Gilbert was sitting. The canine pushed Gilbert to the side and laid the mattress and pillow down in front of the backdrop, organizing them in a similar manner to how they were in the photo. He stepped back, shaking his head as he looked at the scene he had set.

“It’s not quite there yet, but it is coming together.”

Gilbert groaned and began bouncing in his chair. He was still struggling. It was amusing.

“You’re absolutely on another level of crazy! You’re going to stage a similar set to the one in those pictures and call that proof!? That’s asinine!”

Brian waved him off and began walking towards the door that led into Gilbert’s apartment area.

“I’ll be right back.”

Gilbert stopped struggling and sighed heavily.

“Yeah. I don’t doubt it…”

The dog walked back into the apartment area and into the living room to begin searching the photographer’s home. He still needed to find bedding that fit that mattress as well as some solid colored curtains. It would also really help if he could find that other, more distinctive pillow. That would be especially damning. Gilbert simply couldn’t chalk all that up to coincidence.

The dog rolled that thought back through his mind and offered up a sarcastic laugh.

Well, considering the trend so far, he probably could and would, but Brian was hoping that the man would break once the evidence really started piling up, so he began searching each room diligently, careful not to make too much of a mess. He did need to get out of this whole thing with seemingly clean paws, after all. Facebook had already gone and linked him to this building for tonight, but hopefully, he could remedy that afterwards. Other than that nonsense, though, he didn’t see any reason for anyone to suspect he was ever here, and he was going to try and make sure it stayed that way.

As the dog scoured the living room, his mind began to wander a bit, going back to the whole Glenfiddich thing and just how much that was setting him off. Why would Stewie do that? Surely, the boy had enough sense to know that their time spent in the bank vault should remain just between them. To Brian, at least, the whole thing had been, what some would call, a transcendent experience. The dog hadn’t exactly said anything to Stewie about it, but...he had felt and experienced so many new and strong emotions during their time in there. It really had put a lot of things into perspective for him, too, and he just assumed that the child had picked up on that and would know better than to just go off and start telling random, strange,  _ pedophile  _ photographers about it. It kind of hurt… Was what had happened not as special for Stewie as it was for him? No, that couldn’t have been the case. People don’t just write off moments like that, and the child had seemed especially aware of the gravity of the situation they were in near the end as Brian confided in the infant about his suicidal tendencies and the depression he suffered from on a regular basis, something he’d never uttered even a hint of to another soul, not even his therapist for the brief time he was seeing one.

And, yet, that whole confession had come so easy to him, like it was just the most natural thing in the world to pour his heart out to the kid in that moment, and it had felt right. It connected them. That had all been for  _ them _ . Would Stewie really speak casually about all of that with just anybody?

Brian’s breath hitched, and he clenched his fists tightly as he felt moisture in his eyes. He shook his head, laughing at his own reaction to the idea as he wiped away the unshed tears.

“Dammit! He’s just a kid! Why does he make me feel things so...strongly!?”

He took a breath and moved on to the bedroom whispering under his breath as he walked through the door, “How come nobody else has ever been able to do that..?”

His search continued as did his train of thought.

Was it healthy for him to feel so tied to Stewie? After all, here he was punishing some sick fuck for taking advantage of a child in a sexual manner, but was it really much better for an adult to depend on one emotionally to such a strong degree? God, maybe he was crazy… A part of him knew nothing about this was normal, but...nothing ever really was with Stewie.

The canine eventually got down on the floor to check under Gilbert’s bed. He smiled at what he saw.

_ Bingo. _

He reached under the bed and pulled out a small heart-shaped pillow with frilly trim. He stood up and compared it to the one in the photo. It looked exactly the same. This was a huge find for him. He still wanted to find everything else, though, so he continued looking around the room, sinking into his head once again as he searched.

How did he let things get to this point, anyway? Brian tried to trace his memories back to a singular moment where Stewie stopped just being the baby of the house to him, but he could find none. In all honesty, he had hardly ever dealt with Stewie as if he was a normal one year old. There had always been this weird dynamic where they were the two misfits of the house, each more advanced than others like them, and he had picked up pretty quickly on the fact that no one was willing to take the words of the infant seriously except for him. Was it any wonder, then, that they had ended up becoming so close to each other? Had that been his mistake? Should he have made like the rest of the family and belittled the child?

The dog shook his head violently.

No, that wasn’t the answer at all. How much more damaging to the kid would it have been for Brian to ignore him like the others did, especially if the boy had ever picked up on the fact that he was actually being understood by someone. Brian could see how that would have been absolutely devastating, and who knew where Stewie would be now if he hadn’t found that one person who was willing to treat him somewhat as an equal?

If Stewie hadn’t found  _ him.. _ .

And, it wasn’t like Brian was now harboring some kind of deep regret over how far he’d allowed his relationship with Stewie to go. No, in fact, the exact opposite was true. Now more than ever, he appreciated how special their connection was. That’s why he was here, and he wouldn’t do anything to change that, even if he could. What was really bugging him was this niggling idea in his head that his experience at the bank might now be kind of...tainted… Those moments that he had been holding so close to his heart, that had affected him so deeply... No one else needed to know about them, especially not some manipulative pervert!

The canine hit the wall he was standing next to, wincing a bit at the pain that immediately sprang up in his fist.

Jeez! Why would Stewie even be talking with this guy after he got his pictures!? The kid was smart! He knew what Gilbert had done! He must have known! The only way that made any sense was if…well, if Stewie had actually been comfortable taking the pictures in the first place, and as much as Brian hated that idea to the core, he knew it wasn’t a far-fetched one. It sometimes blew Brian’s mind wide open to realize just how...overtly sexual Stewie sometimes acted. There was a list of incidents a mile long, and each time, Brian felt uncomfortable even acknowledging them. That was the one aspect of Stewie’s personality that he absolutely refused to engage in. That would be crossing the line…

Suddenly, something vital clicked into place, and Brian found himself freezing in place as the enormity of the realization threatened to crush him with its weight. That was the  _ one  _ aspect of Stewie’s personality that he refused to engage in. Sure, that was the right thing to do, but just how frustrating must that be for the kid. Maybe that was why he felt like he had to go off and find someone else, and really, if Brian was completely honest there was plenty of reason to believe there had been others…

Should he go after them next?

The dog opened the closet door as he shook his head at the ridiculous notion.

What? Was he going to become some crazed vigilante that took on any person that humored Stewie’s sexual nature? And, really, he had no reason to believe any of the others that he actually knew about were even aware that the kid was such a young man. The baby was terrifyingly good at playing the role of the pretty lady in the room when he wanted to, and the dog couldn’t really start trying to figure out who all had actually known the truth and who had just been tricked by the little deviant.

...Especially when he himself had been tricked on at least one occasion.

The canine shuddered a bit at the memory and began looking through the closet.

No, Gilbert was different. This asshole knew, and he still went through with it. Brian could understand why Stewie would want that. He hated it, but he at least understood. That didn’t excuse Gilbert’s actions, though. He still had to pay, even if Stewie probably was just fine with the whole thing.

Who was he doing this for again?

Brian didn’t get a chance to dwell on that question, though, as his eyes caught sight of something up on a shelf located at the top of the closet. He rushed out of the room briefly, returning with a chair that he then used to reach the shelf. He reached up and pulled down the wad of fabric that had caught his attention. It was bedding, just big enough to fit the mattress he had found, perhaps? Brian smiled and laughed victoriously.

“Alright! Now, we’re getting somewhere.”

He practically ran out of the apartment space with the items he had found, rejoining Gilbert in the studio area where he proceeded to set up the bed, trying to match the way it looked in the photo. When he was done, he stepped back to look at his handiwork, holding up the picture for comparison. It was basically an exact match aside from the curtains in the back.

Then, it hit Brian just how obvious the location of the curtains was. After all, he had passed through a set of curtains when he first entered the studio. He placed his face in his palm and laughed more gleefully than probably sounded sane.

“Of course!”

He looked over at Gilbert who had just been watching the whole thing helplessly with a blank expression on his face. Brian pointed at the curtains hanging in the doorway and asked him, “Those are the only curtains you have, aren’t they?”

There was a pause, and then, the man just nodded his head.

Brian laughed again and ran over to remove the curtains, which actually ended up being a bit of a task considering his height, but he managed to get them down quickly enough. He then ran back over to the center of the room and tossed them so that they were hanging haphazardly over the backdrop. He didn’t bother trying to arrange them. He figured it was close enough. He’d basically recreated the exact scene from the picture he was still holding. That was enough for him. He stepped back one final time, chuckling as he took in the sight.

“Ohhhh, man. That is it!”

He looked over at Gilbert.

“Here let me show you. You’ve gotta see this!”

He grabbed the chair and moved it so that Gilbert was right across from the scene Brian had created. The dog then held up the picture for comparison so the man could see. The photographer looked at the picture, then at the mattress, then back at the picture, before simply gulping and turning his head away from it all.

Brian took this as a good sign. He laughed again.

“See! Now, what are the odds of that, Gil? I was able to recreate this exact scene except for, you know, the boy you took advantage of and his stuffed bear. Must be way less exciting for you without those little details. Hmmmm?”

The man gulped again before speaking up, head still turned away.

“I… I didn’t take advantage of anyone…”

The dog scoffed at this and turned the chair so that he was forcing the man to look at him.

“Seriously? You’re just going to keep lying to me?”

The canine extended his claw then and touched it to the man’s leg, applying a very slight pressure. Gilbert picked up on the threat, but he still just shook his head.

“I am not lying to you.”

Brian frowned at this and began pressing his claw down more firmly, piercing through the man’s pants and into his flesh as he spoke.

“What do I have to do, Gil? Do I have to actually find copies of the damn things before you’ll just admit what you did!?”

He shoved his claw down hard so that it sunk in deep.

Gilbert cried out in pain, but Brian noticed that the man was no longer looking at him. No, instead he was now glancing over at the computer that was over on the desk just off to the side. This seemed to indicate something to Brian. He retracted his claw and let go of the chair before speaking bluntly.

“There are copies of those photos on your computer, aren’t there.”

The dog heard the breath catch in Gilbert’s throat and knew that confirmed his suspicion. He had to see them, now. It was the ultimate proof. So, the dog rolled the chair over to the desk and turned the computer on. As it was booting up, he spoke to the man.

“I should have thought of this sooner. Of course you would keep copies for yourself.”

Gilbert just shook his head and laughed sadly.

“You seriously just will not drop this thing. I mean, what is this even accomplishing, man!? Don’t you realize just how much trouble you’re going to be in afterwards!? You’re damning yourself here!”

The login screen popped up. It was asking for a password. The dog groaned.

“Look, I have a plan. Ok? Don’t worry your sick mind over me.”

He pointed at the screen.

“Now, what is your password?”

Gilbert straightened his posture and spoke defiantly.

“You’re not getting that out of me.”

Brian just nodded his head before replying plainly.

“I seriously don’t have time for this.”

He extended his claw again, placing it this time just underneath one of the man’s fingernails. His intentions were immediately clear, and Gilbert’s eyes went wide as he began shaking his head frantically.

“No. No! You wouldn’t!”

Brian found this statement rather amusing. He smiled in a mocking manner as he replied.

“I-I wouldn’t? You seriously believe that the person who just almost drowned you by torturing you in the tub would have any qualms with causing you severe pain by slowly…”

He began pushing his claw in further underneath the nail with each following word.

“Pressing. Under. Your. Nail.”

The man closed his eyes tightly, fighting to hold in his painful cries.

Brian asked again.

“What’s the password, Gilbert?”

The man was shaking as he stuttered out his response.

“I-I won’t t-tell y-you.”

No hesitation as Brian forced his claw as far as it could go with a single quick thrust, prying the nail and tearing it away from the skin it was secured to. The man to cried out in agony as he wept and struggled frantically in the chair. The dog let his claw rest there for a minute before pulling it out slowly and moving on to another fingernail.

He asked again, giving the man no time to recover from the intense pain.

“What’s the password, Gilbert?”

Tears were welling up in the man’s eyes, and he let out a rough sob as he said, “I-I think it’s...Quahog photography.”

Brian tilted his head at this.

“You  _ think  _ it’s Quahog photography?”

The man chuckled sadly.

“I’m not exactly in the most stable headspace, right now!”

Brian grunted, refusing to offer any sympathy as he placed his free paw on the keyboard to enter the password.

“All lowercase? Capitalize Quahog? I need details here, Gil. Don’t keep me waiting.”

He applied pressure to make his point.

Gilbert stuttered out, “A-All lower...lowercase.”

Brian typed out the password and clicked the  **Log In** button.

He was quickly informed that his password was incorrect.

He sighed.

“Oh, come on, Gil…”

Before the man could say anything, the dog began slowly forcing his claw up under the nail as far as he could, wiggling it around a bit to break past each area of resistance. The man began screaming again, and the canine could feel his body shaking violently as it responded to the pain it was experiencing. As soon as the dog had pushed his claw all the way under Gilbert’s nail, he turned to him to ask again.

“Do I need to type it in differently? Did you just lie to me?”

He chuckled casually.

“Man, your fingers are going to be seriously fucked up by the time this is over. That can’t be good for a man in your profession.”

He had to wait for the man’s sobs to die down before he heard a response, but when he finally did, it came out as an aggressive, hoarse scream.

“Go to hell!”

Brian’s expression fell, and he began staring at the man with pure anger as he removed his claw and placed it under another nail. He spoke coldly.

“Password?”

Gilbert’s face was terror-stricken as he looked at the the claw with wide, wild eyes. Eventually, though, he just shook his head, hanging it low as he allowed more tears to fall.

“I...I can’t.”

The claw was forced in again, and it earned the expected response from Gilbert once more as the man began screaming as loudly as he could, tears streaming down his face as he cried up to the ceiling.

“Oh, God! Why is this happening!? I did nothing wrong! You’ve gotta believe me!”

Brian reached up and slapped the man hard across the face before grabbing him by the chin, forcing him to make eye contact as he shouted in his face.

“You know why this is happening to you! And, you’re basically incriminating yourself further by being so resistant! Why would you be so determined to keep me out of your computer unless there was something on there that you didn’t want me to see!? I already know that I’m going to find what I’m looking for. Stop fighting me, and just realize that there is  _ no  _ scenario where this ends well for you. You made your bed, now lie in it!”

He shoved the man’s face away and asked again.

“What is the goddamn password, Gil!?”

Gilbert just continued to sit there crying, looking absolutely terrified and panicked. Brian growled loudly and applied pressure, beginning the process of digging his claw into the man’s finger all over again. The photographer gasped and shut his eyes tightly. It appeared that he was bracing himself for more pain, but after a few seconds, his shoulders fell, and he met the dog’s eyes, utter defeat in his expression. He gulped.

“F-Fine. You fucking win.”

He choked out a sob before continuing.

“It is Quahog photography. A-All one...one word. Capitalize both Quahog and photography.”

Another sob.

“The number ninety-seven is on the end.”

The man broke down then and began crying in a way that was much more mournful than related to any kind of physical pain he must be experiencing. Brian just chose to ignore him as he typed in the password exactly as he was told. He clicked the  **Log In** button, and this time, the screen opened up to the desktop. Brian smiled victoriously and retracted his claw. He climbed into the empty chair and began searching through folders. Behind him, Gilbert continued to speak.

“That was the year I first went into business. Had just finished up at school and was able to acquire a small loan from the bank so that I could start renting this place. Own the building outright, now.”

Brian didn’t particularly care, but he did offer up a low hum to indicate that he was listening. He quickly realized that there were a ton of folders on the man’s computer. It was going to take him a while to search through all of this. Great…

Gilbert went on, barely managing to get his words out between whiny sounding sniffles and sharp intakes of breath.

“I...I love what I do. And I do it well.”

The dog rolled his eyes as he decided his best bet might be to just do a search. Now, what would Gilbert name his child porn…

“This job is my life, and you’re going to take that all away from me.”

At this, Brian turned his head to address the man directly.

“Yeah. I am.”

He then turned his attention back to the search bar and began typing in  **Stewie** .

The man laughed sadly.

“You seem proud of that. I guess I get it. I’m not the guy that you think I am, though.”

That search yielded no results. The dog placed a finger to his chin and began tapping it as he thought of another word he should try.

“I’m not some sicko that preys on children.”

**Rupert** .

“I don’t take advantage of the innocent.”

Nothing. Maybe  **Jolly Farm audition** .

“And, I don’t deserve this insane version of vigilante justice you’ve taken it upon yourself to dish out. You’re the one in the wrong here! Not me!”

Brian hit search, and immediately the very pictures that were right next to him in physical form appeared on the screen one by one.

The dog gasped. He sat there allowing the weight of this moment to sink in. Sure, he had fully expected to find these files, but to finally see them right there on Gilbert’s computer… It was simultaneously relieving and infuriating. To see these sensual images of Stewie tucked away in the bowels of this pervert’s hard drive made the dog’s stomach turn in the most unpleasant way. But, despite that, he knew the man could no longer deny him the confession he was craving so desperately. This was it. This was his indisputable proof.

The canine turned in his chair and pointed at the screen, showing his teeth in a threatening manner as he spoke.

“Explain. That.”

The man began laughing madly as he replied.

“Ex-Explain!? What is there even to explain!? I stand by what I just said! I’m innocent! But, you know what, you were right! Stewie was here, and I did take sexy photos of him!”

More laughing before the man continued.

“A-And, you know what else!? He  _ wanted  _ me to! Surely, you of all people know that me photographing Stewie is  _ not  _ the same as photographing an innocent child! I’ve never done that! It was only Stewie!”

Brian growled and slammed his fist down on the deck, causing it to shake violently.

“Rationalize it all you want! You took racy photos of a baby!”

Gilbert continued to laugh as he spat out,

“You shared a drink with that  _ baby _ ! You’ve made out with that  _ baby _ ! You’ve felt that  _ baby’s  _ touch! Take a look in the fucking mirror, buddy! Oh, he’s told me plenty about you, Brian! I know about all you two get up to! After all, you’re all he ever wants to fucking talk about, and if I’m guilty so are you! You’re no better than me, and unless you truly are mad, on some level you must realize that!”

Brian began shaking his head frantically, trying to come up with something to say in his defense. He knew his situation was different, but right now, he was too worked up to come up with the proper words to explain to this lunatic why he was so dead wrong.

Gilbert went on.

“We understand that Stewie is different. He’s mature. He’s smart. He knows what he wants. And, we both understand that he needs people who see him for who he is.”

The dog was shaking now as he took in the man’s words, trying to parse out the truths from the statements he was so sure were wrong, but everything was just becoming more muddled in his mind. He had to regain control of this situation. He slammed his fist down again and spoke as confidently as he could.

“You don’t know a damn thing about him. How long have you known him, anyway? I’ve known him since he was born, so I think I’m the better authority here when it comes to deciding what Stewie does and doesn’t need.  _ I  _ know him, not you!”

Gilbert groaned and fidgeted a bit in his chair.

“You know, I thought he was exaggerating a bit when he mentioned how dense you were, but oh man, if anything, he undersold it. You’re really going to sit there and condemn me while putting yourself on the higher moral ground? Jeez. No wonder he came to me. You were never going to see all the parts of him he wanted you to see... ”

Brian jumped a bit at hearing this. He tilted his head, chuckling as he asked, “Wha… What the hell are you talking about?”

Gilbert shrugged, shaking his head slowly.

“It doesn’t even matter. You made up your mind about me before you even came here. So, just go ahead and call the police. Show them the pictures. Have me branded a pedophile and ruin my life. That’s what you came here to do, after all…”

At hearing this, Brian began laughing heartily.

“Call the police?”

His laughter grew in volume before dying back down so that he could finish his thought.

“Gil, I’m here doing this because I didn’t want to get the police involved. Don’t worry. If I can help it, no one will ever know about these pictures except for you, me, and Stewie. Your reputation is safe.”

The man raised his head and looked at the canine with a mixture of suspicion and worry.

“Y-You’re not going to t-tell anyone?”

Brian smiled and shook his head.

“Nope. Not a soul. In fact, I’m about to delete these sordid little images so no one can find them.”

He turned back to face the computer, continuing to speak to Gilbert.

“Now, I’m just making sure, but you haven’t already shared these with anyone, have you? You didn’t go and upload your kiddy porn stash to some dark corner of the internet to satiate the sick desires of your fellow pedo friends?”

He could hear the man guffaw behind him.

“What? No! I wouldn’t do that to Stewie!”

Brian bit his tongue, continuing to smile as he simply nodded his head and began deleting the digital images one by one.

As he was doing this, he heard Gilbert clear his throat before speaking again.

“Brian? If you’re not going to call the police, what is your endgame here?”

The dog deleted the last picture and then closed out of the window before clicking on the recycling bin.

“To tell you the truth, I’m still figuring that out.”

He clicked to empty the bin and watched as the photos vanished out of existence forever. He uttered a relieved sigh and turned the chair back around to face Gilbert.

“There. Now, no one else will ever see those pictures of Stewie.”

There was silence, then. Brian just sat there looking at the pathetic looking, beaten, exhausted criminal bound to the chair across from him. He was seriously considering what his next course of action was going to be. He’d done a lot of good here tonight, but this whole thing still didn’t quite feel like it had been resolved. He was still so angry, and he didn’t want Gilbert getting off with nothing more than a few injuries and a threat to keep his mouth shut. No, that was too good for him, but the dog also didn’t want to get anyone else involved. He really had no clue where to go from here. It was quite the predicament.

At some point, while he was mulling his options over, Gilbert began motioning his head in the direction of the photographs still sitting on the desk.

“What about those?”

The canine was pulled out of his thoughts. He looked over at the stack of photos and shrugged.

“What about them? You can’t keep them.”

Gibert groaned, shaking his head.

“I wasn’t asking to keep them. Aren’t you going to destroy them, too?”

At hearing this question, Brian felt a flood of conflicting emotions rush through him. His eyes went wide, and his body froze as he tried to process the inquiry. It was a very reasonable question. He knew that, and the answer was clear. He had deleted the images on Gilbert’s computer to rid the world of them, so it only made sense that he should destroy the physical copies, as well. It made perfect sense, but as he contemplated doing that, whether it be by shredding them or burning them or whatever method he chose, he found that there was some part of him that vehemently resistant to the idea. And, what kind of sense did that make!? Of course he should destroy them!

The dog chuckled and picked up the stack, holding it firmly in both of his paws as he replied to Gilbert’s question, uncertainty in his tone.

“W-Well, yeah! I’m going to...going to destroy them.”

He gulped and tightened his grip on the stack.

“In fact, I’ll rip them to shreds, right now!”

He didn’t move, though, just continued to sit there body shaking slightly as he gazed at the stack of photographs in his paws.

“Yeah. That’s what I’ll do. That would be the right thing to do…”

He made a twisting motion like he was about to begin tearing them but stopped. His eyes focused on the picture that was on top of the stack. It was the one with Stewie lying on his stomach, beckoning with his eyes for whomever was there with him to join him on the bed.

The dog gulped again and found that he had to fight to continue. He made a slight tear at the top, and then, there was a loud voice in his head.

_ STOP! _

He gasped and released the tightness of his grip.

Why was this so hard? Why did the idea of getting rid of these pictures that he had been keeping for himself seem so terrible to him? What was wrong with him?

He sighed and began looking through them. He heard Gilbert laugh. He tried to ignore it.

“Jesus Christ! You can’t even do it! You really are no better than me!”

Brian just shook his head as he continued to look through the pictures.

“I...I need to make sure Stewie wants these destroyed first. It should be his decision.”

Yeah. That made sense. Brian smiled and then set the photos back on the desk before turning to smirk at the man.

“You see, I would know that because I  _ actually  _ understand him, unlike you.”

Gilbert groaned again.

“Oh, come on! You really believe that? Is that why you started looking through them just now with that lustful look in your eyes?”

Brian’s smirk fell, and he felt the beating of his heart speed up as he shot back, “Lustful!? Wha-What the hell!? You’re… You’re crazy! I wasn’t looking at them like that! I’m not sick in the head like you!”

The dog reached up and began gripping the sides of his head. He knew Gilbert was just trying to mess with his head, take him off of his guard so that he could do...something. He hadn’t been looking through those pictures with anything close to a lustful expression. That couldn’t be the case. He wasn’t attracted to Stewie, no matter how good the kid might actually look in those pictures.

He growled, mentally slapping himself.

_ Dammit! What’s wrong with me!? _

Gilbert spoke to him again, this time with a softer tone of voice.

“Look. You are obviously very conflicted, and you know what, I get it. It’s a complicated situation. You want to treat him as an adult because he provides you with something vital in that role, but you’ve also known him since birth so it’s difficult for you to get over this hurdle of coming to terms with him expressing his sexuality at such an early stage in his life.”

Brian growled again, hopping up from the chair.

“Shut up! You don’t know anything! You’re just trying to get out of this! It’s not going to work!”

Gilbert shook his head vigorously in the negative.

“No! I’m really not, Brian! I can never forgive you for what you’ve done to me tonight, what you’ve put me through, but I really think there is a way that we can resolve this with you realizing how wrong you are but also coming to terms with something that will put a lot of things into perspective for you. Let’s just talk for a minute. Let’s hash this thing with Stewie out. You say you want to do what’s best for him. Do you really believe that continuing to ignore such a core part of his being while trying to rationalize away your own feelings is healthy for either you or him? Surely not!”

Brian ignored the man’s words and walked over to his bag in order to retrieve something. Gilbert pressed on.

“He obviously makes you feel things that you don’t want to accept, but it’s ok. He talks about you all the time. He cares about you a lot, more than you probably realize.”

The dog opened his bag and began rummaging through the contents.

_ Where is it!? _

“He loves you, Brian! He loves you so much!”

_ Ah ha! _

“In fact, it’s almost maddening how much he loves you!”

The dog pulled out his gun and cocked it, turning around quickly to aim it at Gilbert.

The man’s eyes went wide,and he jumped back out of simultaneous fear and shock.

The room went quiet aside from the dog’s heavy, staccato breathing as he glared at the photographer, muzzle aimed right in his direction. Brian took a second to calm down before swallowing thickly and finally speaking up.

“You’re going to shut up, now. I don’t want to hear another word unless I tell you to speak. Got it!?”

Gilbert simply nodded his head. Brian nodded his in turn, licking his lips as he lowered the gun.

“Alright. Good.”

He reached up to scratch behind his neck as he continued talking.

“Now, I think I might have come up with something for us to do. You see, I have a lot of questions, Gil, and I’m going to need you to answer them for me in order to ease my curious mind. Can you do that?”

The man nodded again.

Brian chuckled and threw his hands up in the air.

“Great! Let’s get started, then!”

He rushed over and began pushing the man back towards the center of the room, stopping once they reached the area in front of the backdrop and the mattress that Brian had set up earlier.

Brian began looking around the room, a smile appearing on his face.

“See, this will be fun. It’ll be like a game or something.”

His gaze eventually landed on a camera that was set up on a tripod off to the side. The dog snapped his fingers and dragged the camera over so that it was now set up in front of the backdrop. He, then, rolled the other chair up behind the camera, locking the wheels in place before standing up on it so that he could operate the device. He hummed to himself before addressing Gilbert again.

“This is a nice piece of equipment you have here, Gil. I’ll give you that. Let’s see if I can figure this out…”

He fiddled around with the buttons and dials for a bit before finally finding the on switch. He pressed it and watched as the camera came to life, displaying a Nikon logo on the screen before transitioning to the image of Gilbert sitting in front of the backdrop. Brian snapped his fingers again.

“Ah! There we go! So, I guess I just press this button to take a picture…”

He pressed the big button positioned at the top of the camera. The camera flashed and made the familiar “picture taking sound” associated with pretty much every digital camera nowadays. It then displayed the picture Brian had taken on the screen, just Gilbert sitting there with his head hanging low, bloody and mutilated fingernails on clear display. The dog laughed, eager to get started.

“Alright! We’re all good to go, then!”

He hopped down from the chair and walked back over to Gilbert.

“So, I’m going to ask you a question, and then, you’ll answer. If you’re silent, I hurt you. If I think that you’re lying to me, I hurt you. And, even if you are telling the truth, if I just so happen to not like what you say, guess what!”

The man remained silent.

Brian chuckled at this, reveling in the fact that he was the one back in control here.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You can answer that question.

Gilbert sighed and shrugged.

“You’re still going to hurt me?”

Brian nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Bingo! We have a winner! Ready?”

The dog batted his hand at the man, answering before Gilbert could.

“Oh, of course you’re ready. It’s not like you have anywhere else to be at this hour.”

The dog began tossing the gun back and forth between his paws as if it were a toy ball as he contemplated what his first question should be, but as he looked at the gun, he couldn’t help but think on what its initial purpose had been compared to what it was being used for now. It was kind of crazy.

“Heh.”

He looked up at Gilbert, holding the gun in a manner as if to display it.

“You say that Stewie tells you a lot about us. Did he tell you about…”

He swallowed before finishing the question.

“Did he tell you about what I confessed to him at the bank?”

Brian’s smile fell, and he looked at the man seriously.

Gilbert seemed unsure about what to say, at first, but eventually, he just nodded his head and said, “He’s been talking about that a lot these past few days. Are you talking about the suicide thing?”

Brian’s breath hitched, and he nodded his head. He could feel his eyes growing wet again.

“Yeah… That… So he did tell you…”

He looked back down at the gun and began caressing the side.

“This… This was the gun that I had intended on using if I ever got to that point. I kept it in my safety deposit box so that I didn’t end up pulling the trigger on an impulse. I wanted to make sure that, if I did it, it was something that I really wanted.”

The canine sniffled, fighting his impulse to break down at the dark thought. He couldn’t do that, now. Not in front of Gilbert.

“I kept...a single...single bullet in it. The rest of the ammo remained safe at home. I knew it would only take one shot to end it all, and I had designated that bullet to be the one to end me. I had given it a meaning. There could be no other or else that self-imposed meaning I had placed on it would actually just end up being meaningless.”

A laugh escaped him as a few tears finally fell. He looked back at the man.

“And, you know what ended up happening to that bullet? You know who ended up firing that single round that I had determined would be the only one to put me out of my misery?”

Gilbert still looked unsure about this whole thing, but he answered anyway with a shake of his head.

“No. No, I don’t.”

Another laugh. Brian gripped the gun tightly, wiping the moisture on his face away with his free paw.

“Stewie accidently fired it into the floor!”

His breath shuddered a bit, and then, he continued to explain.

“He wasted it! Took it right out of the equation! And, that was before I told him about my suicidal thoughts! Before he knew anything about why I had the gun! He shot that bullet right out of my life, and he didn’t even realize what he was doing!”

More tears. The dog quickly wiped them away.

“And, he still doesn’t know. But that’s just kind of how it is with him. He doesn’t even have to try. He just keeps saving me like it’s what he was made to do. I’d be so lost without him…”

Brian wiped away a few more tears before taking a breath and forcing himself to pull it together. He cleared his throat, and then, addressed Gilbert seriously again.

“And, that’s only a part of why he means so much to me. You may think you’ve heard enough from just Stewie to get an idea of just how strong our bond is, what we mean to each other, but I just want you to know that there is no way you could ever fathom it. It’s beyond you. It has nothing to do with you, and whatever relationship you think you have with him is microscopic in comparison. You’re nothing to him, and that’s why you were wrong for doing what you did with him.”

The man just stared at him dumbfounded for several seconds before uttering a single sad laugh as he responded.

“So that’s how you’re going to continue to justify this, then? You’re just that fucking special so you have, I don’t know, some kind of right to do things with him that others can’t!?”

Brian was going to reprimand the man for speaking without permission, but upon hearing that question, he had to stop and think about what he was doing. Is that how he was justifying this? Did he think that his bond with Stewie gave him some kind of special position in the child’s life where it was ok to do things with him like drink and scheme and…

That image of Stewie calling him to bed flashed in his mind again and caused a shiver to shoot up his spine. And, for the first time he thought about just how much he wanted to enter that picture, to accept the boy’s invitation and join him.

To hold him.

To  _ love  _ him.

He gasped, letting go of the gun briefly before catching it. He whispered to himself.

“I...love him.”

The man let out a frustrated sounding laugh as he began bouncing in the chair.

“And, he finally gets it! See, you desire him, too! In that respect, we are no different!”

Brian looked at Gilbert still allowing the realization to wash over him.

“Y-Yeah. I guess, technically, that’s true.”

The canine’s expression went serious again. They were going way too far off course here. Whatever feelings he was just now realizing he had for Stewie did not change what was currently going.

He shook his head at the man and shrugged.

“But, hey, it’s like you said. I think that’s fine for me, not so much for you.”

The man’s expression went blank, and there was a pause before he said, “But, I was… I was trying to show you how ridiculous that was.”

The canine chuckled and began scratching behind his neck.

“Yeah. I guess it kind of is, but well, this whole situation is kind of ridiculous, isn’t it? I’m still not happy with what you did. It still feels wrong to me imagining you and Stewie in here taking part in a sexy photoshoot.”

The dog grimaced and flinched at the thought.

“It turns my stomach, really, and I don’t believe you have any way you could ever justify it to me.”

A sudden loud laugh escaped him, and then, he continued.

“Put me in your position, though, and well, I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem that bad, I guess? I know that’s a little hypocritical, but that’s how I feel. It actually sounds rather appealing…”

Another chuckle as the dog began shaking his head.

“I don’t know, Gil! I can’t exactly make sense of it! This is all pretty new to me, and I’m just kind of feeling things out here. That doesn’t get you off the hook, though. Oh, no. You’re still going to answer my questions, and I guess I’ll just decide what I want to do with you based on how I’m feeling in the moment. That’s really all I got, right now! Logic is only getting me so far!”

Gilbert began shaking his head frantically. The saw that he was going to speak, but he cut him off with a “zip it” motion, eyeing him threateningly.

“You don’t get to speak freely, anymore. There’s nothing more you can say, anyway.”

The canine lowered his paw and then casually clapped his paws together over the gun.

“Ok, so… First question: how long have you known Stewie?”

The man slunk back in his chair and answered in monotone.

“It’s been a few months, now.”

The dog hummed at the response.

“Ahhhh. Only a few months. That’s not too long, at all. Tell me, what made you think you were some kind of authority on what was right for him again?”

Gilbert went to answer, but Brian cut him off by aiming the gun at him.

“No. Don’t say anything. That was a rhetorical question. Here’s the next question I really want you to answer. How did you two meet, exactly?”

The man shrugged, pulling at his restraints in a half-hearted manner as he recounted the initial meeting.

“We were just at a club. I don’t know how he got in. He just did. I had no reason to suspect that he was as young as he was. People his age don’t speak like that, so I just assumed he was, you know, a dwarf or something.”

Gilbert smiled slightly and uttered a small laugh.

“He was fun. I told him about my profession, and before I know it, he’s stopping by to talk. I didn’t learn about his actual age until a few weeks after meeting him. By then, it was hard to even really care. We connected…”

Brian frowned and nodded his head.

“Those seem to be fond memories for you.”

And there was no more said about that, but the dog did extend his claw and use it to leave a deep scratch along the man’s forehead, dragging it slowly as it cut through the skin leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Gilbert screamed through the whole process, but he didn’t say a word. Brian smiled at this, happy that his captive was being so compliant. He finished cutting the man and then walked over to the camera to take a picture before returning.

Gilbert gave him a look that seemed to be asking “what the hell?!”.

Brian huffed.

“You got to take satisfying pictures of Stewie for you, so I’m going to take satisfying pictures of you for me.”

He clicked his tongue a few times, thinking for a minute before asking his next question.

“Sooooo, when Stewie showed up here for his audition photos, had you already made plans to do more than that? Whose idea was it? Did you coerce him at all?”

Gilbert shook his head violently.

“I thought we were just doing the shots for the audition. The other stuff was Stewie’s idea. I was...reluctant, at first… I asked him if he was sure, and well, as you know, Stewie can be really persuasive…”

Brian chuckled at this, knowing good and well the man was right about that. Still, the dog had to think for a moment whether or not that answer pissed him off enough to warrant another round of punishment. Really, it was probably the best answer he could have gotten, and after mulling it over in his head, he decided that he would restrain himself in the interest of fairness. He wasn’t a monster, after all.

“Ok. Next question, then: did anything happen after you took the pictures?”

The man gulped, and Brian was just barely able to make out that his cheeks flushed slightly at the question.

“He had agreed to pay with cash before he showed up, but after everything else...he offered to suck...me off instead. I...let him.”

Brian began breathing heavily as he clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly before speaking again sternly.

“So, you allowed an infant to exchange sexual favors in return for your services?”

The man began shaking, causing him to stutter as he said, “T-Technical-ly y-y-yeah, b-but…”

In the next moment, the dog was pressing the muzzle of his gun against the man’s crotch as hard as he could.

“You let him put his mouth here!? Did that feel good to you!? Was it worth all this!? Hmmmm!?”

Gilbert’s eyes seemed to grow as he suddenly became fully alert, trying to move his body away from the gun but completely unable to.

“No! It wasn’t worth it! God, I’d take it back, if I could! Please! Don’t shoot me! Not there!”

The man started weeping openly, and then, Brian’s nose picked up a strong scent that seemed to appear out of nowhere. He then heard something akin to trickling water. He looked at where his gun was pressed and then recoiled in disgust once he realized that Gilbert had begun wetting himself out of fear.

“Oh my god! Jesus, Gil!”

The look of disgust on Brian’s face quickly turned to one of glee, though, and soon he was rushing over to take another picture.

“Ohhhhhh, man. That’s just too good. Gotta add that to the photo album.”

Gilbert was sobbing uncontrollably, now, to the point where Brian could barely make out what he said next. He made a show of cupping his ear as if he was trying to hear better.

“I’m sorry? What was that, Gil?”

The man had to get his sobbing under control slightly before he could speak more clearly.

“I s-said that you’re a f-fucking psycho! You d-don’t deserve St-Stewie!”

Brian shrugged as he made his way back over to the man.

“I appreciate your opinion there, Gil, but I think that’s really something for Stewie to decide. Oh, and also…”

Brian made a fist and hit Gilbert as hard as he could in the stomach. He winced and began to laugh as he shook his paw to relieve some of the pain that had caused him. Of course, it was nothing compared to what Gilbert was feeling. The man was now hunched over as far as was possible in his current tied up state, weezing as he struggled to breath after the hit.

“That was for speaking without permission. And, here I was thinking that you were beginning to learn.”

The canine cracked his knuckles and quickly went to take another picture before returning once more.

“Alrighty, ready for your next question?”

It was another rhetorical question, and he could tell that Gilbert picked up on that so he proceeded on.

“You said that Stewie talks about me all the time. What does he say about me?”

The man groaned before answering.

“Sure, why not? I’ll just stroke your ego a bit after all you’ve done. That’s no big deal.”

He sighed and then continued.

“He talks about how much he enjoys spending time with you. He tells me stories about you two. God, I’ve heard so many stories… He tells me how frustrated he is with you.”

At this, the man looked up to meet Brian’s eyes. The dog tilted his head in confusion, and he couldn’t help but engage with this topic.

“Frustrated with me? What did I do?”

Gilbert laughed sarcastically, mockingly as he replied.

“Oh, I don’t know, Brian. It’s not like I was just explaining this to you before. Or did you already forget that you only just recently finally started to acknowledge and respond to the kid’s sexuality?”

The dog just stared blankly, running those words through his head several times before whispering out, “I never… I always acknowledged it. I just wasn’t...comfortable with it. ...Didn’t know what to do with it...”

Gilbert nodded his head at this.

“I know. He told me, and that’s exactly what frustrated him. He appreciated that you treated him like any other adult in most areas, but it really drove him crazy that you seemed so determined to make an exception when it came to his sexual needs. I mean, seriously, though, how many times did he make a move on you? Because I’ve heard of  _ several  _ instances, and each time, according to Stewie, you just chose to ignore it. And, you didn’t think that would hurt him. You couldn’t even talk to him plainly to, at the very least, tell him to stop? You just opted to pretend like it wasn’t happening?”

The dog hung his head, suddenly feeling very guilty.

“I didn’t know that it was such a big deal to him.”

The man shook his head at this.

“And, that’s where you were wrong because it was the biggest deal to him. He...feels things very strongly when it comes to you.”

Brian looked up, then, finally admitting something that should have been clear to him this whole time.

“He’s in love with me.”

The man seemed to wince upon hearing this.

“Y-Yes. He is. Very much so.”

Brian nodded, feeling like he was finally beginning to understand some very key things about his relationship with Stewie for the first time.

“Well, I think, I love him, too.”

Gilbert threw his head back and sighed.

“Great… I’m so happy for you two.”

Brian ignored the sarcasm as he marvelled at this new realization, at how perfect it was. He shivered and uttered a single word just under his breath.

“Wow…”

Gilbert began fighting with his restraints again.

“Jesus Christ, are we done yet!? What more do you fucking need!? I’ve told you everything!”

The dog jumped a bit as the man’s shouting shook him out of his revelry. He growled and gave the man’s leg a quick, hard bite.

Gilbert screamed.

“Ahhhh!”

Brian smirked at him.

“Stop speaking without permission. I have one more question, and then, I’ll decide what I want to do with you.”

He chuckled and gave his gun a sloppy twirl as if he was trying to emulate a cowboy from a movie.

“Did hearing Stewie talk about me so much make you jealous? Were you hoping that he would eventually move on and feel a modicum of what he felt for me for you?”

The man shook his head at the question but still answered.

“This is ludicrous. Yeah. Sure. Why not? I did get a little jealous, but it wouldn’t have been so bad if he had just brought you up a little less. As for what I was hoping would happen between us…”

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know, man. I like the kid. I guess I was just curious to see where things went. I was definitely open to it.”

Brian nodded his head at this, smirk still on his face.

“So, if given the opportunity, you would pursue him?”

The man groaned in agitation, obviously fed up with this topic.

“Yeah. You know what, I would have, but you know what, there’s basically no chance of that, now! So, go on! Go tell him how you feel, and you both leave me the fuck alone! I should have never gotten involved in this weird thing you guys have going on! I just want to move on with my life and forget this whole thing!”

And that was it. Gilbert seemed to snap. He began thrashing about wildly in his chair, fighting to free himself, but all he ended up doing was knocking the chair off balance like he had before, leaving him to struggle helplessly on the floor.

Brian just watched him for a moment before simply sighing and walking over to the man.

“I guess this has gone on long enough, huh? I mean, what more can I do?”

He kneeled down, still brandishing his gun.

“Here’s the thing, though, Gil. I’m still mad as hell about what you did, and really, I still feel like you crossed a line. You didn’t know Stewie that long, so how am I supposed to know for sure that him being a child wasn’t part of what attracted you to him in the first place?”

He used the muzzle of his gun to scratch behind his neck as he continued with a chuckle.

“Yeah. Stewie was your first time pursuing a child, but now that you can’t have him, how am I supposed to know that you won’t go after someone else, someone who’s not like Stewie? I’m kind of in a difficult situation here.”

The man just continued to struggle as he glared at the canine.

“I’m not a pedophile, man! I’m not going to suddenly start trying to take advantage of normal children because of this! That would be crazy!”

Brian clicked his tongue a few times while shaking his head.

“I just don’t know. I think I’m seriously considering just taking you out of the equation. That just seems like the safest bet to me. That takes care of a lot of my concerns, and frankly, after hearing all I’ve heard from you, I don’t think it would bother me much.”

Gilbert stopped struggling, then, and his face blanched as he gazed up at his captor is horror.

“Wh-What? No. No! You can’t do that! You can’t do that to me! I’m innocent! I’ve done nothing wrong! Let me go, you bastard! Let! Me! GO!”

He began pulling at his restraints more insistently, but he was getting nowhere.

The dog leaned in closer and tapped the side of Gilbert’s head with his gun.

“I just don’t see that ending well for anyone but you, and that’s the last thing I want here because, you see, Gil…”

All traces of amusement left the canine’s expression as he growled out the rest of his sentence.

“I.  _ Hate _ . You.”

More tears from the helpless, man.

Brian pressed the gun to his temple, finger shaking slightly as it rested on the trigger.

Gilbert shook his head slowly as he wept openly.

“You’re just doing this because you’re jealous. I can see right through you. You’re the real bad guy here.”

Brian inhaled sharply, pondering those words. In all honesty, it scared him a little bit how much the idea of killing Gilbert appealed to him. He’d never felt this level of bloodlust before, and he didn’t know if that really did make him a bad guy. He had his reasons, though. This did feel like the right thing to do. This man had given in and accepted sexual offers from a child that he really only barely knew, and that really did make the dog unsure about whether or not other children might be in danger, especially considering the man’s profession. But, Brian couldn’t deny that part of his anger was coming from a place of jealousy. Jealousy that Stewie had gone to a stranger before coming to him. Jealousy that this man had gotten to experience things with Stewie he now desired. There were a load of reasons for why this felt right, and they weren’t all right...but they weren’t all wrong, either.

Brian sighed, shaking his head one final time as he steadied his trigger finger.

“You may be, right, Gil. But, right now, in this moment, this is what I have to do. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, buddy.”

The man gulped through a sob and shut his eyes tightly.

“Please. Let me go.”

The room grew still.

The dog’s breaths deepened as he prepared himself mentally for what came next.

Everything seemed to grow quiet, surrounding the room in a deafening silence.

Several seconds ticked by.

Then, the silence was broken by the loud blast of a point-blank gunshot.

* * *

The sun was coming up over the horizon, shooting its rays into the dog’s car. Brian squinted against the sunlight. It was already difficult enough to pay attention to the road considering how hard it was to focus his tired eyes, but that was to be expected after staying out all night. Not to mention, it had been an incredibly draining night both emotionally and physically. He had gotten more than he had initially bargained for, but everything had worked out, he thought. After finishing his business with Gilbert, it had basically taken him the rest of the night to clean up whatever mess he had left, but he was fairly confident that there was nothing there to connect him to that location, now. Plus, it would be a while before anyone ever found Gilbert, if they ever did. Sure, the local photographer would be reported missing in a few days. There’d be an investigation and all that, but eventually, they’d have to give up. It was done. Brian knew he was in the clear.

Now, he just wanted to get on with his life.

The canine groaned, reaching up to lower the sunvisor to block out what little he could of the sun. He only had a few more blocks to go, and he was so ready to get home and into a nice comfy bed. He needed a good long rest.

A few minutes later, he was pulling up into the driveway of the Griffin home. He parked his car, killed the engine, and grabbed his bag before hopping out and heading for the front door. He unlocked the door and entered the house, making sure to not be too noisy for fear of waking up anyone upstairs.

First thing was first. He ran down to the basement to stash away his bag. Then, he walked back upstairs and into the kitchen. His throat was incredibly dry, so he figured he’d fetch himself a glass of water before heading to bed. As he was filling up his glass at the sink, his ears suddenly picked up the sound of soft footsteps. He shut off the water and turned to see who had actually woken up so early. He was only partially surprised to see Stewie in the kitchen doorway, still dressed in his blue sleeper.

“Brian?”

The dog just stood there up on the chair that he had pulled up to assist him so that he could reach the sink, holding his glass of water, taking in the sight of Stewie for the first time since realizing how he truly felt about the boy. He gulped and smiled awkwardly at the boy.

“H-Hey, Stewie…”

The infant blinked up at the dog and took a few steps forward.

“You just get in?”

The dog nodded his head.

“Yeah.”

A pause and then Stewie spoke again.

“Long night?”

Brian just nodded his head. It would appear that many words were available to him, at the moment. He just didn’t know what to say.

The child looked down and began shuffling his feet as if he was nervous about what he was going to say next.

“Are you… Are you ready to tell me where you really were last night?”

A breath caught in Brian’s throat, and he began to ponder what his response should be. How much was he willing to tell Stewie, right now? How would he even say it?

As he was mulling these things over, a sudden impulse hit him.

The canine felt his whole body shiver, and he set the glass in his paw off to the side on the counter before finally climbing down from the chair. He slowly approached the boy, stopping once he was standing in front of him. He still wasn’t sure what to say, but he knew what he wanted to do.

The dog shuddered and reached out his paw to caress the baby’s cheek affectionately.

The child gasped and made like he was about to step away before stopping and remaining where he stood.

Brian smiled at him and leaned forward, tilting his head towards Stewie’s.

“B-Brian?”

But, the canine said nothing as he leaned a little further and closed the gap, touching his lips to the child’s tenderly.

Stewie seemed to immediately melt against him, and Brian couldn’t help but snicker at just how quickly the boy had given in. The baby kissed him back eagerly, uttering another adorable little gasp that allowed the dog to push his tongue forward to claim what was rightfully his.

They remained standing there in the middle of the family kitchen for a good while, kissing with reckless abandon, no concern given about whoever else might come downstairs next. Brian began to feel a familiar pressure below his waist. He pulled away from the infant and looked down to see that he was beginning to become erect. His shaft was growing rapidly, and he wasn’t the only one who was noticing. Stewie was watching, too, his little body shaking at the sight.

The canine chuckled at his little friend and placed a paw on his shoulder.

“Like what you see?”

Stewie looked up at him, nodding his head eagerly.

This earned another laugh from Brian as he used the paw on Stewie’s shoulder to start pushing the boy down. Before long, he had the child on his knees before him, his face at eye level with the dog’s hardening cock.

He saw the boy lick his lips before looking up to ask him, “You want me to…”

Brian gave him a single nod as he answered sternly.

“Well, I would hope you would. After all, you should have done this with me from the start instead of running off to find others who didn’t deserve it.”

The child tilted his head, feigning confusion.

“Wha… What do you mean?”

The dog just rolled his eyes as he took ahold of the boy’s head and redirected it towards his now fully hard cock.

“You know what I mean. Now, shut up and suck my dick better than you’ve ever sucked anyone else.”

Stewie didn’t seem to need much more prompting. In the next instant, he had taken the dog’s shaft down his throat eagerly, moaning lewdly as he started bobbing his head, little hands gripping tightly to the canine’s waist to stabilize himself as he went to town.

Brian felt his legs immediately go weak, and his tongue fell out of his mouth as he started panting like an animal in heat. It felt amazing. Stewie felt amazing. How had he not done this sooner? How stupid had he been?

He began pumping his hips, thrusting himself in sync with Stewie as he continued to hold the infant’s head in place. The boy didn’t miss a beat, keeping perfect pace with his lover even as the canine’s thrusts began to speed up. It was simply incredible to Brian. He’d never had someone so eager to please him before. It had never been this good, and good god, that thing that the boy was doing with his tongue!

“Ahhhhhh! Fuck! Where did you learn that?”

But, then, the dog thought better of his question and began shaking his head.

“You know what? Don’t tell me. I don’t think I want to know.”

He felt the boy chuckle around the rod in his mouth. The baby lifted his eyes up to meet Brian’s, still sucking his lover’s cock with fiery determination as their eyes met.

Upon seeing the boy staring up at him, Brian couldn’t help but gasp loudly. The love in Stewie’s eyes… It was simply unreal, and that combined with the sight of his best friend down on his knees servicing him so eagerly was about enough to make Brian blow his load right then and there.

He shut his eyes tightly, hissing through his teeth as he fought to hold it together, but he could tell that he wouldn’t last much longer.

“No…”

He wasn’t done with Stewie yet, so with great reluctance, he forced the boy off of his cock and took a moment to catch his breath.

Stewie was still down on his knees, now staring up at him in apparent confusion.

“What’s the matter, Bry?”

The dog simply responded with another question.

“Has anyone ever fucked you?”

The child’s eyes went wide as he shook his head slowly, utter shock painted on his face.

Brian simply breathed a sigh of relief.

“Oh, thank goodness. That’s one less person I have to take care of.”

Stewie seemed like he was about to inquire about that last statement, but Brian didn’t give him the chance as he grabbed the baby, forcing him to turn around before positioning him on his hands and knees. He could feel the infant starting to shake again, so he leaned in and whispered in his ear.

“It’s ok. I know you want this.”

Another adorable little gasp.

“You’re not really going to…”

The canine snickered again, extending his claw.

“You bet that sweet ass I am.”

He placed the tip of his claw at the back Stewie’s neck. The child tensed up underneath him, so Brian tried to reassure him.

“I’m just taking this off. Just relax.”

And with those words, the canine started dragging his claw down the length of the boy’s spine, cutting smoothly through the fabric of the boy’s sleeper as he gently grazed the baby soft skin underneath. He continued all the way to below the infant’s waist, tracing a straight line right between his ass cheeks before stopping at the crotch. The dog retracted his claw, and then took ahold of both sides of the tear he had made and yanked roughly, ripping the sleeper further until Stewie’s entire backside was exposed. The boy was wearing nothing underneath. Good. That made things easier.

The dog wasted no time before taking his position behind the boy. He kissed the top of the infant’s head, inhaling the scent of his hair as he whispered, “I love you.”

Stewie shivered underneath him again, and Brian knew that was a sensation he could definitely get used to.

“I love you, too.”

Brian smiled at this as he reached down to position his cock at Stewie’s entrance. He didn’t wait to start pushing forward. There was only a slight bit of resistance, but once the tip was inside, the rest slid in easy enough. He heard Stewie moaning loudly, more beautiful sounds to feed his hungry ears.

Once he was seated firmly inside the boy, he began moving in and out slowly, earning a series of whimpers and gasps from his young lover. The experience was unlike anything he had ever felt. It was nothing like any of the women he had ever been with it. No, it was so much better. Stewie was just the perfect size for him, gripping him just tight enough to be snug but not uncomfortable. He almost couldn’t believe how perfect this was, and he just took it as a further sign of just how much he and Stewie were truly made for each other.

He started picking up speed, the incredibly pleasant sensations beginning to quickly overwhelm him. God, was it really this easy? Was he really this weak when he was with Stewie? He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the boy, but he could feel himself being pulled closer and closer to the brink. Stewie seemed to be getting lost in his own sensations, too, so the dog thought that he would offer a little assistance in the hopes of bringing the boy to orgasm before it was too late.

Without any warning, the canine reached up under the infant and started rubbing insistently at his crotch.

Stewie gasped loudly and began pressing himself firmly against Brian’s wandering paw.

The dog kissed the baby’s cheek and offered him a little encouragement.

“Come on. Cum for me like you want to, baby. I know you’re close.”

And just like that, the boy began crying out in ecstasy as his climax rushed through him.

“Oh, god! Yes! I do! I do! Brian, I want to cum for you!”

It was about all Brian could take, a few seconds later he was spilling his seed inside the boy, growling loudly as his voice joined Stewie’s.

“Yeeeeeees! That’s what I’m talking about!”

The pair continued to hump like crazy for another minute or so, riding out their intense orgasms before both collapsing to the floor. Brian fell to the side and wrapped his arms tightly around the boy, still nestled deep inside him as they both recuperated their strength.

When the dog found that he was able to speak again, he chuckled to himself.

He leaned in and whispered in the boy’s ear one final time.

“I killed your photographer last night.”

The boy went stiff against him and turned to look at him, his eyes wide in shock.

“Brian?”

“Brian!”

The dog opened his eyes, blinking them rapidly as he suddenly returned to the present moment. He was still standing on the chair holding his glass. He coughed and took a sip of his water, trying to get his head straight after experiencing such a vivid and intense fantasy. He took another gulp of his water and then hopped down off the chair. Stewie was staring at him, looking absolutely baffled. The canine couldn’t blame the kid. Things must seem incredibly strange, right now.

He sighed and walked over to the table to have a seat next to Stewie’s highchair. He motioned for the boy for come join him, smiling warmly at the person that mattered most to him.

“Come here, kid.”

He took another sip and set the glass down on the table, knowing that there was no going back after this conversation. That was ok, though. It was past time to resolve these lingering issues. He inhaled deeply and then spoke the words that would change his relationship with Stewie forever.

“We need to talk.”


End file.
